My Best Mate's Sister
by just.a.blue.jay
Summary: Sirius, James, and Lily have been best friends since first year. Now they are in their fifth year, and Lily and Sirius have a bit of news for James. They are going to be step-siblings. How will they adjust to this new situation? Will any other relationships change? Only time will tell.
1. Only the Beginning

Chapter 1 - Lily P.O.V

"Sirius! Lily! C'mon, you're going to be late for the train! Hurry up!"

I ran out of my bedroom, pulling my heavy school trunk behind me. As soon as I entered the narrow hallway, I almost crashed head on into my soon-to-be-step-brother, Sirius.

Pause.

Let me explain.

First of all, I am a witch. I am fifteen, and preparing to enter my fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Same with Sirius.

Sirius is my best friend. We met in Diagon Alley when we were eleven years old. It was early in the summer before our first year. I, being a Muggle-born, needed help getting around the place, and Sirius offered to help me. We talked while shopping for books and everything we would need for school. Hours later, my dad and Sirius' mum found us together.

The two adults really seemed to bond instantly, like I had with Sirius. My mum had died from cancer when I was six, five years before that meeting in Diagon Alley. My dad hadn't seen anyone since.

Sirius' mum left his dad a while back. He was becoming too involved with the Dark Arts, something she did not particularly agree with. Regulus, Sirius' younger brother, had also taken a keen interest in Dark Magic. Rosaline Black, Sirius' mum, took Sirius and left the two when Sirius was eight years old.

Andrew Evans and Rosaline Black began dating the very same year in which they first met. They had gotten engaged two years ago, during the summer. They were to be married this year, during the Christmas holidays. Sirius and Rose, as I called her, had moved in promptly after the engagement.

I was going to be Sirius Black's step-sister. He was going to be my step-brother. Rose was going to be my step-mother. My dad was going to be Sirius' step-father.

We were going to be siblings.

* * *

"Sorry, Lils," Sirius chuckled, steadying me upright. He did this by putting his hands on my waist, holding me, then letting go after he was sure that I had regained my balance. If anyone else had done that, I would have slapped them across the face. But with Sirius, I was fine with it. He was already like a brother to me, and he would be my real brother in about three and a half months.

"It's okay, Siri," I said, chuckling as well. I was terrible clumsy, I had to admit. I turned to see that Sirius had just come out of his bedroom, which was right across from mine, pulling his trunk behind him.

Before I could say anything, Sirius grabbed my trunk, and his, and started walking down the stairs. I shook my head fondly and followed behind him. Sirius just had to be a "gentleman".

As soon as we reached the living room, Rose marched over to us and practically shoved us out the front door. Trust me, Rose is a wonderful woman and I loved her loads, but she is very fiery and short-tempered. When a person got her angry, it was almost as if you were waiting for a bomb to detonate.

After Sirius and I had been ever so rudely pushed out the door, I turned to look at Rose questioningly. Her expression softened and she adopted a sheepish expression.

"Sorry, but you guys are going to be late!" She ran back inside the house, leaving me and a very confused Sirius outside. Moments later, she rushed back outside dragging my father with her.

My dad had his hands full, as he was carrying both of our school trunks. Sirius had let go of them in shock when Rose took us outside. Rose ran up to our car, threw open the trunk, and impatiently motioned for my dad to put our stuff in there. I shared an amused look with Sirius. He slung an arm around my shoulders, which wasn't very hard, seeing as his 5'10" build towered over my petite one.

We got into the car, and after a minute, Rose and my dad followed, slipping into the passenger and drivers' seats respectively. My dad looked slightly winded, and I had to bite back a chuckle. Sirius, sensing my restraint, looked at me and winked.

My dad started the car, and we were off to King's Cross Station.


	2. Gawking Males at King's Cross

Chapter 2 - Sirius P.O.V.

_This is going to be a great year,_ I thought to myself as I sat in the backseat of Andrew Evans's car. We were on our way to the train station, and by we, I mean my mum, Andrew and my soon-to-be-step-sister, Lily.

Lily is great. We had become really close ever since we first met when we were eleven in Diagon Alley. Even though she wasn't officially my sister yet, we were both already like real siblings. We watched out for each other, told each other off, and even sabotaged each other for fun.

I was also very protective of Lily. And if you were in my position, you would be, too. Lily is a beautiful girl, both inside and out. She has long, naturally wavy auburn hair that flows down to her waist. Her almond shaped emerald eyes are always bright. Her red hair go hand-in-hand with her pale complexion.

Any guy would want her, and trust me, I have been in many situations where I had need to scare a boy off to keep my little 'sis' safe. _Many_ situations.

Before we knew it, we had pulled into a parking space at King's Cross. Andrew, or Drew, as I called him, got out and started to unload our stuff. My mum got out as well, and opened the door on Lily's side. She gave her soon-to-be-step-daughter a warm smile and went to go help Drew. I was really happy that my mum and Lily had such a great relationship. She wasn't one of those fake women who pretended to love their husband's child and then treat the kid like dirt.

Lily got to me, okay? She told me the story of Cinderella.. Anyway.

Lily got out, and almost tripped in the process. Did I say she was _very_ clumsy? Well, she is. Immensely so.

Fortunately, I caught her around the waist just in time. I helped her out of the car and made sure she had completely regained her balance before I took my hands off her waist. I knew Lily well enough to know that she would have slapped anyone else if they had done that. But I am her brother, in a different sense for the time being, so it's different.

"Thanks, Siri," she said, smiling gratefully. I smiled back and walked around the car to see if Drew needed any help.

Drew had already unloaded all our belongings - our trunks, Lily's owl, my broomstick, and me and Lily's _special_ bag. No one but Lily and I knew what was inside of it. Back in third year, we had charmed one of Lily's old Muggle backpacks and no one but us could gain access to what was inside of it.

I grabbed both of our trunks, and put them on a trolley, while Lily grabbed her owl, my broomstick, and our bag. The two of us entered the station, with Drew and my mum trailing behind. We navigated our way through the crowds of people hurrying away to their destination, or seeing a friend or family member off.

As we walked into the station, I suddenly noticed what Lily was wearing. She was wearing a short-ish denim skirt and a V-neck emerald green shirt. I nodded my approval to myself. I knew that Lily would never dress indecently, but I still liked giving my approval, even if it wasn't to Lily herself.

I was simply wearing a pair of dark blue jeans and a black shirt. Nothing special.

We quickly located Platforms 9 and 10, and the wall in between. Lily and I exchanged quick farewells to our parents, seeing as Drew was a Muggle and he couldn't get onto the Platform. Lily and I ran through the barrier simultaneously and walked onto Platform 9 3/4.

Even after five years, I still couldn't help but marvel at the sight of the Hogwarts Express. It was just beautiful. With its sleek maroon colored cars and rumbling engines, it had a kind of charm I couldn't quite describe. I could tell Lily was thinking the same thing. I looked down at her, and at that same moment, she looked up at me. We exchanged knowing smiles and walked together towards the train.

Along the way, I noticed something. Something that bothered me quite a bit. My little soon-to-be-sister was being checked out by a good number of the male population. As we walked by, I glared at every boy who I saw ogling Lily. I was _not _going to have anyone hurting my baby sis.

I don't care if she's only three months younger. She is still going to be my little sister.

I finally had enough. I couldn't take it anymore. I snapped.

"OI! Stop staring at my sister!" I growled darkly, causing a fourth year to flinch and run away. A few other people in the vicinity had turned to look at us oddly. But I didn't care, as long as they weren't staring at Lily, I didn't care.

"Thanks," Lily said softly, looking up at me. "But I'm not your sister. Not yet, anyway."

Her last comment made me smile. I wrapped an arm around her shoulders and started walking again.

This was going to be a great year.


	3. New Changes

Chapter 3 - Lily P.O.V.

As I walked to the Hogwarts Express with Sirius, I couldn't help but think of the things that were going to change for the both of us. Merlin, there were so many,

I guess I'm going to have to call Rose 'mum' now once she actually marries my dad. Same goes for Sirius; he has always called my dad 'Drew.' It's going to be a bit awkward now. I'm probably going to slip up a lot, but I know Rose will understand.

When she started to date my dad, she talked to me and told me that if they ever get married, that she won't ever try to replace my mum. That made me love her from the beginning. Sirius told me that he too had a chat with my father. My dad told Sirius that he is going to try to be a great father to him, better than the one he had when he was little. I knew that made Sirius happy, because his father was never a real father to him.

Sirius convinced me to try out for the Gryffindor Quidditch House team, so I will this year. Over the past two summers and during the holidays, Sirius has helped me with flying and Quidditch in general. He's a beater on the house team. He claims I'm pretty good, but I don't know if he's just saying that. Sirius told me that if I made it, he would get me a broom of my own. I had no idea how he was going to do it, but he promised me and that was that. We had been taking turns using Sirius's Nimbus 1001. We would fly laps around a field by our house.

Huh. That sounds kind of strange, referring to it as 'our house.' It really is, but it just sounds odd.

Oh right! I almost forgot about that!

A few years ago, Rose officially divorced her deranged husband. I believe it was a little bit before that summer where I met Sirius. I don't know how this whole thing works, but I know that Rose got a lot of money out of it. Rose and my dad were going to go house hunting after their honeymoon. Better yet, they are buying a house in the wizard world. The Blacks are a very rich, and powerful pureblood family, so Rose has more than enough money to buy a house for the four of us.

Petunia hasn't said much about the whole thing. She's already married, and she lives with her whale of a husband, Vermin- I mean Vernon Dursley. She absolutely loathes magic and anything related to it. Sirius and I have concluded that she's happy that we are going to move into the wizard world. So that we would be _far _away from her.

However, somethings are also going to affect people other than Rose, me, Sirius, my dad, and even Petunia. Regulus. I have only spoken to him on a small number of occasions, and during those times, he would just send insults my way. Lovely, right? Sirius refuses to speak to him. Neither one of us know how he is taking it. Rose spoke to him once over the summer and informed him of the situation. She told him about pretty much everything - me, my dad, Sirius, the deal with the houses. Everything.

It took me a while to realize that we were standing right next to the Hogwarts Express. I looked up at Sirius and saw that he was smirking. He almost always did that when I was lost in my thoughts. It somehow amused him. I chuckled and playfully punched him on the shoulder. He barked out a laugh and steered us onto the train.

Sirius quickly located an empty compartment. He put our trunks up on the racks with ease, while I had to stand up on the seats to put our _special_ bag on the rack. Sirius laughed again, and grabbed my owl, Hermes, and his broomstick and effortlessly stored them. I scowled causing Sirius to laugh again.

"Bloody giant," I muttered. Sirius gasped dramatically and started to spin me around happily. I shrieked and tried to swat his hands away, to no avail. He laughed at my screams and failed attempts to remove his hands from my waist.

After about a minute of yelling and spinning, Sirius put me down. I glared at him and dizzily stumbled to a seat. Sirius smirked, shook his head and sat down next to me. I yawned, laid my head down on his lap and he soothingly rubbed my arm.

That was when I noticed the people standing in the doorway. It seems that Sirius noticed them too. The second I noticed them I squealed, stood up and ran towards them. Sirius chuckled at my reaction and calmly walked to the door.

The people in the doorway to our compartment were Alice Prynn, Thalia Jones, Remus Lupin, and James Potter. Thalia and Alice shrieked as well and I threw my arms around the two girls.

Thalia Jones is a sporty girl with long brown hair and green-gray eyes. She is tall and very slender. She is very optimistic and energetic, which is good because she's a Chaser on the Gryffindor house team. She is usually very kind and polite, but like me, she had a fiery temper. That's what we had in common, I guess that's why we're friends.

Alice Prynn is a short, quiet girl with short blond hair and sky blue eyes. She is very polite and shy, but she could talk for ages once you got her started. She wasn't into sports like some other people, but she is very smart and a great tutor. Like Thalia and I, she is dangerous when angry. She's currently in a relationship with a sixth year Gryffindor, Frank Longbottom.

I'm convinced that they are going to get married. Everyone thinks so.

Remus is a tall boy with light brown hair and dark green eyes. He is rather tall, standing at over six feet. He is very studious and modest. He's quiet, and many girls like him because he is sort of mysterious. I can't really say. He's almost like a brother to me, so I can't say that I'm attracted to him. Like Alice, he would definitely help anyone with any subject if they asked.

James Potter was also tall, with messy black hair and hazel eyes. He's also a Chaser on the Gryffindor house team. He wore black, thick-framed rectangular glasses. Many girls swooned simply at the sight of him. I had to admit - James is a very attractive individual. Not to mention that he's a great person, disregarding looks. He's smart, funny, charming and unbelievably kind. I love him as if he were part of my own family.

Speaking of which..

"Hey guys?" I said nervously. Sirius looked at me with wide, questioning eyes. I nodded and he nodded as well. We knew each other well enough to be able to speak with our eyes. He sat down on the seat that we recently vacated. I sat down as well, and motioned for the others to do the same. They somehow managed to squeeze onto one seat with ease.

They all looked at me with curious eyes. None of them, besides maybe Sirius, had seen me so nervous before. They were concerned. I gave them a warm smile and saw them visibly relax slightly.

I leaned back into the seat and felt Sirius wrap an arm around my shoulders. I looked at him and we had a silent fight over who was going to speak first. I was glaring at him, telling him to say something. I won. Victory.

"So, we have something to tell you guys," Sirius said after a moment. The others looked worried again, and I silently assured them that it was fine. They relaxed a bit, but they still looked concerned.

I took a deep breath. This was going to take _forever_ if I didn't just spit it out. Sirius was obviously trying to procrastinate actually telling them. Classic Sirius.

I looked at Sirius and he gave me pleading eyes. I sighed and turned to look at the others, who were still sitting on the edge of their seat with worry. Why do our friends have to be so concerned all of the time?

"Guys, Sirius and I are going to be siblings."


	4. The Train, Yelling and Sirius Thoughts

Chapter 4 - Sirius P.O.V.

To be honest, I was scared. Thalia, Alice, Remus, and James hadn't said a word since Lily had told them the news. And none of them showed any signs of speaking anytime soon.

Thalia's green-gray eyes were wide with surprise and her jaw was hanging open. She was bound to catch flies.

Alice's eyebrows had flown up to her hairline and her mouth, too, was open. In the course of a minute, she had open and closed her mouth a total of twenty-seven times, making a small popping sound each time. New record.

Remus' eyes looked as if they would just pop out of his head at any moment. He was looking skeptical, as if he expected one of us to jump up and say "Just kidding!"

Now James was something different. He looked, like nothing. His face was emotionless, and as I looked down at his hands, I noticed that they were completely relaxed. I could tell that he was very surprised and shocked, and that he was trying not to show it. He was doing a pretty good job.

Thalia was the first person to speak, after five minutes of painful silence. She jumped up and pointed an accusing finger in our direction. If looks could kill, Lily and I would have died, come back to life, and died again.

"HOW DARE YOU NOT TELL US! HOW DARE YOU NOT TELL US, YOUR BEST FRIENDS, THAT YOUR PARENTS WERE DATING!" she exclaimed, probably scaring a few birds off a few miles away.

I glanced towards the hallway and saw that a few people had come out of their compartments to see what was happening. They saw that the noise was coming from out compartment, rolled their eyes and walked back inside. It wasn't unusual for us to be the loudest people in the vicinity.

I shrunk back, wishing for nothing but to become an ant so I could escape unnoticed. Unfortunately, I couldn't do that without a wand, and I had been stupid enough to leave it in the _special_ bag. I think they would notice if I tried to sneak out right now.

Alice stood up as well. She didn't say anything, but she looked as if she had a lot to say to us right now, the majority of them probably being illegal. Upon first sight, it would be hard to imagine Alice Prynn as vicious, but once you got her mad, that impression disappeared without a trace. She just glared at us, and that was enough.

Lily seemed to be slightly frightened as well. Her emerald green eyes were scared, and when she looked at me, she seemed to silently say 'We probably should have told them earlier.' I nodded slightly and looked back at our friends.

It was silent for another minute, and by now, all of them were standing, but James. I decided not to worry about him, he was probably just letting it sink in calmly, unlike our other friends.

Lily stood up, and I nervously followed. She took a deep breath, as if to make sure she was in a fit state to talk. She looked at our friends warily and began to speak.

"Look, we are sorry, but we didn't know how we were going to do it. The engagement news came just last summer, and to be honest, I think it just slipped our minds," Lily said calmly.

Alice, Thalia, Remus and James looked at her as if she was crazy when she said 'It just slipped our minds.' Lily noticed this and hurried to elaborate.

"What I mean is, Sirius and I are already like siblings. You guys know that. When we found out we were going to be step-siblings, it really didn't change anything. We already act like siblings toward each other, and then we found out it was going to be official. The only thing that had changed was the formality of the whole thing. Whether it was real or not," Lily concluded.

The others seemed to understand, and I let out a huge sigh of relief. Lily raised an eyebrow at me while the rest of our friends just chuckled. I smiled and chuckled as well. It was good to have my friends back.

Thalia and Alice stormed over to us and tried to push me away from Lily. At first, I thought they were going to do something to her, I knew they wouldn't, but me being the over protective 'brother' I was paranoid. I grabbed her by the waist, and fell onto the seat. Unfortunately for Lily, I pulled her down with me.

I landed on the seat, and Lily fell on top of me with an "Oof!" She glared at me, and I grinned sheepishly. She pulled herself off of me, holding out a hand to help me up. Of course, she would be the polite one in our family.

Thalia and Alice were watching the scene unfold with amusement, as well as the other two boys who were still on the other side of the compartment.

"What was that for?" Thalia asked irritably.

"Sorry! In my defense, I thought you two were charging at her," I said quickly. Everyone just laughed and shook their heads.

We all sat down, this time, in different seating arrangements, so that we would not be squished like before.

Lily and I sat down on one seat. I sat close to the window, slightly leaning against the wall. My position gave Lily most of the space on the seat. She laid down on the seat, resting her head on my lap. I stroked her hair softly. I heard her yawn, and smirked slightly.

Thalia and Alice sat down on the floor in the center of the compartment, legs crossed. They were chatting amiably about make up, which I found profusely annoying.

On the other seat, Remus and James were talking about Quidditch. Usually, I would go and join them. However, I felt like I needed to spend time with Lily before she officially became my sister. I don't know why, but I did. So I just sat there stroking her hair, and occasionally switching to lightly rubbing her arm or back.

Lily's breathing slowed; she was asleep. It seemed that everyone noticed this too, because they looked at Lily, and smiled affectionately, and turned back to their conversations with a smile on their faces.

I was so glad that Lily and I had such great friends. I was even happier that we shared the same best friends. This made everything so much easier. Let me explain.

Lily was my best friend before we even got to Hogwarts. After we spent the day together in Diagon Alley, we became inseparable. After mum had divorced my father, we had found an apartment in a Muggle community, conveniently close to where Lily lived. I would come over pretty much everyday during the summer before Hogwarts.

When September 1st came around, mum, Lily's dad, Lily and I went to the station together. We walked through the barrier and onto Platform 9 3/4 together. I was the first one to clap when Lily was sorted into Gryffindor. I knew we were going to be inseparable.

Weeks went by in our first year, and we had made friends. We were both really happy. We made friends with the same people. We were still inseparable. I was so glad, especially now, that we weren't going to be those siblings that couldn't stand having the same friends. In fact, I loved it this way. Nothing was going to tear us apart.

From first year to the end of fourth year, we had grown very close to our friends. They were our best friends, but we were family. We were even closer when we found out that our parents were dating each other. We would be in each other's presence constantly. We really were siblings.

I protected her from boys that were probably just going to hurt her. I didn't want anyone touching my little sister. And trust me, I succeeded. Lily Evans was well wanted, but no one came within five feet of her without getting hexed.

She protected me from the professors. Lily was on the good side of many teachers, while I was on- wait, I'll let you guess. They always trusted her judgment, so I was usually left untouched or with just a detention.

She was my little sis. I was her big bro. That's just how it was.

In January, when we get back from the Christmas holidays, Hogwarts was going to meet Sirius Evans - Lily Evans' big brother.

* * *

**What did you guys think of this chapter? It was a bit longer than the others, but not by a lot.**

**Anyway, please review!**


	5. Hogwarts and Quidditch

Chapter 5 - Lily P.O.V.

Even after five years, I couldn't help but admire the beauty of the Hogwarts castle. It had a classic beauty that most people could only picture in fairy tales and folklore. With its worn brick walls and gleaming windows and magnificent towers, you just had to stop and marvel at its amazing appearance.

I stuck my head out over the side of the carriage to get a better view at the old castle. I shared a carriage with Sirius, Thalia, Alice, Remus and James. I sat on one side, sandwiched between James and Sirius. I shared an amused look with Remus, who sat opposite me, also stuck between Alice and Thalia. For people who were very slim, it was amazing that they could take up so much space.

In a matter of minutes, we were walking through the Entrance Hall, approaching the charming mahogany wood doors of the Great Hall. As soon as we entered, we took our places at the Gryffindor table. Alice, Thalia, and I sat directly across from Remus, Sirius and James. I flashed a friendly smile at James before turning my attention to the doors.

In walked a group of first years, looking both nervous and enchanted. I smiled as I remembered how I felt five years ago, when I myself was a first year. I felt just that, nervous and enchanted.

The Sorting went by relatively quickly. Most of the first years joined Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw; only two walked to the Slytherin table and four joined us Gryffindors. I recognized one of the newly sorted Hufflepuffs as Nymphadora Tonks, one of Sirius's cousins. She threw me an excited smile and waved quickly at Sirius before taking her place at the end of the table with the other first years.

Dumbledore stood up to start his usual start of the year speech.

"Welcome students, to another year at Hogwarts. I would like to inform you that Mr. Filch, our caretaker, has added a few more items to the list of items banned from the grounds. For the list of the 476 items, they are located outside Mr. Filch's office."

"Now on to the more important news," he said, smirking. His eyes twinkled in that playful, cryptic way that only Dumbledore could achieve. The playfulness disappeared, leaving the cryptic sparkle. "Voldemort is on the rise. He is trying to recruit more followers, and while I cannot control your actions, I ask you to use caution. He may try to recruit Hogwarts students, even as foolish as it may be."

"But enough of the depressing stuff," he said smiling, the playfulness returning. "To those who understand, the school will become even more unified this year." I could have sworn that Dumbledore glanced at Sirius and me when he said this. Sirius seemed to think the same thing, and we exchanged an amused look. "Practice house unity and make amends."

I saw a large number of Slytherins display their distaste of the thought. I shook my head and turned my attention back to Dumbledore, who was staring intently between the 5th year Slytherins and Gryffindors.

"Your ally just might be the person you once thought of as your enemy."

Dumbledore immediately lightened up and gave us a comforting smile. He raised his hands, lighting the candles next to the podium at which he was standing. He clapped twice, and the food appeared on all of the tables.

"Let the feast begin."

* * *

The first couple days passed and before I knew it, it was the weekend. I was with Sirius in the Gryffindor common room, resting my head in his lap. He was smoothing my hair back and humming contently.

I was nervous, and Sirius, playing the role of the big brother, was trying to calm me down. Today, they were holding Gryffindor Quidditch try-outs.

Sirius and I had come up here right after breakfast, leaving our friends down in the Great Hall. They saw my anxious expression and knew to leave us alone. Sirius brought me up here knowing I needed peace and quiet, and only that would help me get rid of my nerves.

No one, besides Sirius, knew that I was going to try out today. Not even James, and he was the Quidditch Captain for Gryffindor. I thought it was pretty impressive, being Captain while only being fifteen years old. According to Professor McGonagall, he's the youngest captain in over a century.

Sirius had convinced me not to tell anyone. He told me that Thalia, Alice and Remus were going to be down there to watch. Of course, they didn't know I was going to try out, so they were just there to watch everyone. Sirius was going to be there, but he had to be. All of the people already on the team had to help with try-outs. Something about observing them, and seeing if they could cooperate with the other players.

Sirius was kind of a co-captain. Not officially, but he always helped James with the practice schedules and game strategies. He would be second in line for Quidditch captain, for sure.

Try-outs were to begin at 11 o' clock. We had another forty-five minutes before we had to head down to the Quidditch Pitch. Sirius had already gotten me the 'try-out robes' and had hung them in my closet last night. The try-out robes were pretty much Quidditch robes that were only used at try-outs. When- if you made the team, you got your own set of robes with your name on the back.

I kept going over the basics in my head.

Walk up to the side of the broom, and say "up." Mount the broom and then kick off, keeping the broom steady.

Hold on tight. Tilt the broomstick down to go down, pull up to go up.

Lean forward to go faster, lean back to slow down.

Stay alert. Watch out for anything that flies through the air, including birds, bludgers, and.. people.

I think I'm ready.

* * *

Sirius said I looked pale. Of course I was, being a redhead, I had a pale complexion. But I knew that wasn't what he was talking about.

I was practically shivering and I almost broke out into a cold sweat. If I didn't know any better, I would have thought that I was becoming ill. I don't know why I am so nervous, but I just am, and I only have Sirius there to comfort me.

Alice, Thalia, and Remus were already down at the pitch, sitting comfortably in the stands, letting the breeze run through their hair, not having to worry about anything at all. I envied them at the moment. James was probably flying around the pitch, smiling and laughing carelessly.

Sirius and I were on the way to the Quidditch Pitch, and we were currently exiting the Entrance Hall. It was a nice day for Quidditch, windy, warm but not sweltering, sunny. Nice autumn day. A day that many people would use to relax and calm down, but right now I was doing the exact opposite. Sirius had to remind me to breathe to keep me from passing out.

There were a lot of people down at the Quidditch Pitch. _A lot_. Some people were even sitting down at the Black Lake, probably preparing to question those who had made the team, and comfort those who didn't. Sirius and I walked onto the field and immediately heads started to turn.

I knew what they were thinking. Lily Evans? _Lily Evans? _Playing Quidditch? I was suddenly very self-conscious. I looked down and sighed with relief. At least I looked good in the try-out robes. They were crimson and had accents of gold in various places on the sleeves and back. I don't mean to sound conceited, but I looked pretty decent. After all, red was one of the colors that didn't clash with my hair.

James was talking to some boy I didn't know in the middle of the field. He turned around when he saw a large number of people in the stands turn around to look at something. He saw my auburn colored hair, trust me, it's hard to ignore, and his jaw dropped. He looked at Sirius questioningly and received an excited smile in return. He still seemed curious, so he turned to me. I gave him a nervous smile and he seemed to relax. He gave me a reassuring nod and called everyone to attention. Everyone immediately stopped whatever they were doing to listen to him.

"Ok, everyone," James said in a voice that was serious and filled with authority. "All of you are here because you want to try out for a spot on the Gryffindor house team. Now is your chance to turn back if you cannot dedicate yourself to the sport and to the team."

A few girls walked away sheepishly. I was the only girl who didn't walk away, surprising many guys.

"Now that that's settled," James clapped his hands, and brooms flew onto the pitch from who knows where. "Let's begin."

* * *

I suddenly felt a lot more confident than I had been the whole morning. I glanced into the stands and saw Alice, Thalia, and Remus sitting together, openly gaping at me. They noticed me looking at them and waved, smiling brightly at me. I skimmed the first few rows and spotted Sirius sitting with other members of the Gryffindor team. He gave me a big smile and a thumbs up, I chuckled and gave him a thumbs up in return.

James sorted us into three groups. One for those trying out for Chaser, one for Seeker, and one for Beater. There were five people, including me, trying out for Chaser. I recognized two of them as third years, but I couldn't name the other two. They looked pretty fit and were probably very agile, but I was trying to stay confident, so I tried to overlook that.

The first 'test' that we had to go through was pretty simple. We just had to fly five laps around the pitch. I grinned when James handed me a broom; it was a Nimbus 1001, the same model that I had been flying the past few summers. It was the same model as Sirius's broom. I grinned at Sirius and held up my broom. He seemed to know what I was thinking. He laughed and clapped, earning a few odd looks, but ignoring them.

We five 'Chasers' lined up and kicked off when James counted down to 1. I was the first one to complete the first lap, leaving the other four boys a large distance behind me. I smoothly circled the pitch, going faster but never losing an ounce of control. I could feel everyone's eyes on me, and smiled. They were probably rubbing their eyes trying to see if Lily Evans was really flying ahead. Trying to see if that was really Lily Evans trying out for Chaser.

Well it was.

I was the first one to land gracefully back on the field. The whole pitch was silent. A minute later, the other four boys landed, rather roughly. I could hear the loud thuds behind me.

James was staring openly at me. He was probably just as surprised as everyone else, after all, no one but Sirius knew that I could fly, let alone fly _fast_. And _well_. He shook his head and called out to everyone else to line back up in our original positions.

He called the Chasers up first. Gideon Prewett, 7th year and Keeper, walked onto the field and flew into the air. He flew over to the hoops and narrowed his eyes in concentration. James said that he was going to feed us the Quaffle, and we would have to try to get it past Gideon. One of the third years went first. He didn't make a single one out of the ten shots he attempted. When he touched back down he swiftly turned his back and walked off the pitch.

The other three went. The other third year made two shots out of ten. The other two boys were just as unlucky as the first. Neither of them made a single shot. It was my turn.

I heard a large intake of breath, and looked around me. There was no one relatively close to me, so I assumed it was from the audience watching in the stands. They were waiting. They were waiting to see whether I would show the third year up, like I had when we were flying, or if he would get the spot after shooting only two goals.

I kicked off the ground. James tossed me the Quaffle above center field.

I flew towards the hoops.

I threw the Quaffle.

I scored.

There was a moment of silence before the audience erupted in cheers. I grinned and flew over to center field again. I glanced down at the ground and found Alice, Thalia, and Remus sitting with the Gryffindor team, next to Sirius. Alice and Thalia were squealing and screaming "OH MERLIN! LILY SCORED!" Remus was applauding wildly. Sirius was jumping around, screaming at the top of his lungs "YEAH LILS! GO GET 'EM SIS!"

I laughed and caught the Quaffle with ease. I flew straight towards the hoops again.

I shot.

I scored.

The entire crowd was now standing up screaming. None of them, besides Sirius of course, even thought that I would be interested in Quidditch, let alone try out and come this close to getting a spot on the team. Sirius, Remus, Alice and Thalia were now silent, looking at me with wide eyes. This was it. If I made another goal, I would get the spot.

I hope I don't die.

* * *

Sirius P.O.V.

I can't believe it.

Lily.

Made.

The.

QUIDDITCH TEAM!

She's a Chaser on the Gryffindor house team! Not only that, but she's probably going to be the best female Chaser in the history of female Chasers! I mean, how could she not be? She made _all ten _shots. She left that third year in the dust!

I can still see the look on everyone's faces when she made the third goal, especially Gideon Prewett's. He looked both happy, and depressed, that Lily made all of the shots. Right after her tenth shot, he flew down and left the pitch, probably to cry both tears of joy and sadness in the locker rooms.

Tough up, dude, you have to be strong. You're a bloody seventh year for crying out loud.. literally.

Alice and Thalia were squealing and shrieking and making whatever obnoxious girl noises there are. As soon as Lily landed, they jumped on top of her and started screaming. Here's what they said:

"MERLIN! CONGRATS!"

"YOU WERE BLOODY BRILLIANT!"

"HOW COULD YOU NOT TELL US YOU WERE A GOOD QUIDDITCH PLAYER!"

"That third year was kind of cute.."

I don't get Thalia.

Remus ran over to her and picked her up and started swinging her around. And he said:

"CONGRATS LILS! YOU WERE BLOODY FANTASTIC! EVEN SIRIUS ISN'T THAT GOOD OF A QUIDDITCH PLAYER!"

I'm going to get him for that. Mark my words, I will. He better sleep with one eye open. I am going to rip his-

Sorry, got a little distracted.

Oh, right, now I remember what I was thinking about.

Man, my sis is a bloody Quidditch goddess.


	6. PreWedding Awkwardness

**Hey everyone! Thanks for the reviews I got for the last chapter. I wanted to add some humor without writing something completely cheesy.**

**Fun Fact: I am an only child. (Which some of you might think is weird, because I have been getting reviews saying that I have captured the Big Brother/ Little Sister angle well)**

Chapter 6 - Lily P.O.V.

The first few months at Hogwarts went by pretty fast, in my opinion. It felt good to be back. Hogwarts was like my home. I was comfortable here, I had friends here, and in a few days, I was going to have _family _here.

We all adjusted to our schedules within the first week of school, a new record for us. Remus and I started patrolling the second day back, and it hasn't been as hard as I thought it would be. Prefect duties have actually been rather easy, so far.

I adjusted to Quidditch practices as if I had been on the team my whole life. James and Sirius were thoroughly impressed. James, by my abilities and skills. Sirius was impressed that I had adjusted so easily. He told me it took him months to remember that he had practices every Monday and Wednesday.

Before any of us knew it, it was the day before we all left for Christmas break. We were all going home this year, and we had agreed to exchange gifts when we returned in January.

Alice was going to France with her family. She was going to be back just in time for the wedding. After the news had sunk in on the train, we gave them their invitations. As soon as her hands touched the paper, Alice was squealing and fiercely hugging Sirius and I.

Thalia was going to visit her brother Luke in Ireland. He is a chaser on the National team there, and she hasn't seen him since she was thirteen. It was going to be the first time she went anywhere, besides Hogwarts, by herself.

Her parents weren't going with her, and she was ecstatic to find out she was going to have some bonding time with her brother. Like Alice, she was going to be back just in time for the wedding. Her parents were going to floo over just before the wedding.

Remus was going home to see his parents. I know it's going to be hard for him. His parents blame themselves for his lycanthropy, and they have a hard time spending time with their only son because of it.

Even though he won't admit it, I know he's only going home because he feels guilty that he hasn't gone home for Christmas since his second year. He is going to floo over to a cousin's house, who lives close to me and Sirius, two days before the wedding.

James was going home simply to see his parents. He went home every year, and he definitely wasn't going to end that streak now. He was very close to his parents, and he always went home every break we got during the year.

He was going to floo over to our house two days before the wedding. He was going to stay with us, and his parents are going to apparate over the day of the wedding.

To be completely honest, I was a bit nervous, and scared, to return in January. Not so much for myself, but for Sirius. Things were going to be so different for him, and the rest of us as well.

I was scared that he was going to get hurt. To those maniacs obsessed with the Pure-blood regime, I am a Mudblood. Sirius is a Pure-blood, but he and Rose don't support that idea. If they did, Rose would have never allowed herself to associate with a Muggle.

Imagine what will happen to him when the Slytherins found out that a Pure-blood is now the brother of a Mudblood. I know Sirius doesn't care, but I still can't help but think of it.

It doesn't help that the professors are going to start calling him 'Mr. Evans' after the holiday. I was wrong, they didn't start addressing him that way when we got back, but it was still going to happen. Merlin, luck is not on our side. But who knows, maybe it actually is.

I think that it'll be good for both of us. I've always wanted an older brother, and now I'm getting one. I've always wanted a brother that would protect me and watch out for me, and Sirius comes along, to fill the position.

Sirius told me that he's always wanted a little sister to look after, and here I am. Just our luck, huh?

"Oi! Lily! Lils!" Thalia shouted, abruptly ending my 'time alone with Lily' time.

"Wha-" I jumped, looking around me. I spotted Thalia sitting next to Remus and I narrowed my eyes threatening at her. She smirked, feigning a look of innocence. She knew better than to scare me like that. They all did.

"Git," I muttered. Thalia, with her super sharp hearing, heard me and stuck her tongue out at me. It amazes me that I can stand being friends with such immature, childish, stubborn tw-

"Lils?" Sirius asked, looking amused. I huffed internally. I didn't even get to complete my list of insulting adjectives.

"Yea? I asked, looking at him weirdly. He was probably going to tell me that I forgot to do something, and I am pretty sure I did _not _forget anything.

"Lils, you forgot to pack. We are leaving tomorrow."

Oh. My. Gosh.

How could I forget to pack?

My eyes widened and I my jaw fell to the floor. I yelped and ran up the stairs to my dorm, after giving Sirius a 'thank you' peck on the cheek. I could hear everyone's laughter from upstairs.

Sirius smiled, I could hear it in his voice. He then yelled up the stairs.

"Don't forget to pack my stuff, too!"

-Sirius P.O.V.-

At the moment, I was, I guess you could say, confused. In truth, I was a ton of other emotions as well, but I was confused as to why I was feeling all of those emotions in the first place. And trust me, Sirius Black (soon to be Evans) is _never _confused.

I felt sad. I knew Lily. She was my best friend, with James as a close second. But she was also my second half. I felt alone without her, but that probably came from all those years of constant contact and interaction.

I knew her well enough to know she was concerned. For me. She was concerned that I would be ridiculed for being the step-brother of a Muggleborn. And to be honest, I didn't care, at all. I want Lily to stop worrying about that, because I'll be fine.

I was also excited. In about a week and a half, my mum and Drew would be happily married and Lily would officially be my little sister. I've always wanted a little sis to protect, and occasionally taunt. Through the years, I have seen guys protecting their little sisters from harm and pubescent boys, and I want that. I want to have someone to take care of and relate to.

Luckily for Lily, I reminded her that she needed to do the packing that she never finished.. or started. It wasn't like her to forget something like this, something so basic and obvious. I guess it was the nerves? I hope something's not wrong..

I chuckled as I watched her sprint up the stairs the fastest I have ever seen her run. And trust me, she is _fast_. She told me that when she attended Muggle public school, she was the fastest runner of the track team every year she participated. It doesn't hurt to include the fact that she is now a Chaser on the Gryffindor team.

I smiled at the thought. She is the _best _Chaser on the Gryffindor Quidditch team. She's even better than James, and he is the team _captain_. Remus even said that she was better than me. Speaking of which, I have to plan my revenge.. nevermind.

I yelled to Lily from the bottom of the stairs. I told her to pack my stuff as well. She's probably not going to do it, but I had to try.

I shook my head fondly as I heard loud thuds and crashes coming from the Girls' dorm. I sat down on one of the armchairs in the center of the Common Room. I looked around and smiled at the sight I was met with.

Remus and Thalia were sitting on a couch by the fire, talking. Those two are going to get married, I'm telling you.

Alice and James were sitting at a table in the corner, working on their Potions homework. I laughed slightly at the look on James' face. His brow was scrunched up in concentration, and he was biting his tongue. I saw a bead of sweat travel down the side of his face.

I chuckled when I saw Alice. She looked perfectly at ease. Her facical features were relaxed and calm, and almost, bored.

James noticed my staring and glared at me. He obviously didn't like the idea of being showed up by a girl. Well, he didn't like the idea of being showed up by a girl at something as simple as homework.

I heard him growl and slam his textbook shut. Alice smirked and closed her book gently. She got up from her seat and skipped out the Portrait Hole. To go see Frank, no doubt.

James stomped over to a couch by the fire and plopped down on it. He groaned and covered his eyes with his arm. Before long, I could hear the sounds of deep, slow breathing. James was asleep.

I was very tempted to see how many quills I could fit up his nose, but I knew Lily would get mad if she came down and saw me. And James would be even worse.

Soon his light snores turned into a chainsaw impersonation. I sighed and shared an exasperated look with Thalia and Remus. They chuckled and gave me a look that said "If you're so annoyed by it, go fix it!"

I put on my best pout and faced Remus. "Moony! Please do something!"

Remus shook his head at my whining and stood up to deal with James. He put a finger to his chin in an act of concentration. He decided to go with the obvious route.

"James."

"Prongs."

"Potter."

"JAMES!"

He didn't wake up. He only turned an inch and grumbled.

"James, Lily's in a bikini."

Merlin.

James woke up to _that_? He jumped up and scanned the room with his bloody eyes!

I was going to have a _serious_ talk with that dude.

Soon.


	7. Not A Very Eventful Chapter

Chapter 7 - Sirius P.O.V.

I haven't spoken with James since yesterday. Not a single word has been said between the two of us since the 'bikini' incident. I could tell the guilt was starting to get to him, and for once, I was actually happy it was. _No one_ was going to get away with that, especially when it concerned Lily.

I can still remember the look on his face after the whole ordeal. His eyes locked with mine and immediately I could tell he wished he could look away. But I glared at him and gave him a look that told him to watch what he did from now on. He may be my best mate, but we were talking about my _sister _here.

Speaking of sister dearest, we the both of us were currently boarding the Hogwarts Express. I had both of our trunks in my hands, as I would never allow Lils to carry her _massive _school trunk. What in the name of Merlin was in that thing? A corpse?

I glanced at Lily next to me. She was glancing behind her, looking for our friends who were trying to lug their own trunks over to the train.

I examined her outfit quickly, a habit that formed years back. She was wearing navy blue skinny jeans, a purple V-neck long sleeved shirt under a black hoodie, her Gryffindor scarf, and dark brown moccassin styled shoes **(AN: I didn't know how to describe them, but I pictured them as something related to UGGs)**. It was a look that suited Lily - casual, comfy, but not unattractive. It was also modest, and as her soon-to-be brother, that was a major factor.

Her auburn hair was pulled up in a high ponytail, and she had a few locks of hair hanging out, framing her pale face. Her emerald green eyes sparkled in anticipation. I could tell she was bursting with joy at the thought of going home for Christmas.

Hogwarts was her second home, and she loved it, but she was definitely excited to go home for the wedding that we had both been waiting for.

Lily agilely skipped up onto the train, and I followed. She quickly found an empty compartment, and she motioned for me to enter first with our trunks. I walked in and put our trunks up on the rack. I sat down on one of the seats, and pat my lap, gesturing for Lily to lie down.

Lily didn't get a lot of sleep last night. She was too excited to sleep. Ever since she was little, she could never sleep knowing something big was about to happen. Well, this was definitely big in her opinion, and everyone else's. I mean, our parents are getting _married_. That's huge.

She obliged and rested her head on my leg. I wrapped a soothing arm over her small frame and began to rub her back. In a matter of seconds, I could hear her soft, even breathing.

Everyone else filed into the compartment. Thalia and Alice looked as if they had run five miles without stopping. I almost laughed at the sight. Their hair was unruly and they were panting heavily. I glanced at their trunks and understood their exhaustion. Those things were roughly the size of their owners.

James and Remus looked completely at ease holding their own trunks. I smiled a brotherly smile at Remus, and then sent a death glare at James. I saw him flinch and I felt satisfied. Alice and Thalia struggled to pull their luggage into the compartment, and I rolled my eyes. Why can't all girls be as strong and.. _not girly_ as Lily?

Remus ran to help Thalia. He lifted her trunk and set it carefully on the racks. Thalia blushed and mumbled a "Thank you." I almost laughed audibly at the sight of a shy Thalia.

Alice just gave up completely and threw her luggage into the corner of the compartment and then left. I didn't need to have an O in Divination to know that she was going to look for Frank.

Thalia and Remus sat down on the seat opposite me and Lily. They didn't take up all the room, leaving James a spot next to them, but I could tell he didn't want to intrude on their conversation.

Lily and I took up the entire seat, as she was lying down. I was glad, too, so that James could sit down. The only place left was in the middle of the compartment, on the floor.

He sat down, stretching out his legs. He grabbed a Quidditch magazine from his trunk and started to read it without a word. I could see that he was shooting glances at me every few seconds. He was looking frequently enough that he couldn't possibly be reading his magazine.

This was going to be a pretty awkward ride home.

-James P.O.V.-

I couldn't take it! I wanted nothing more than for Sirius to forget anything happened yesterday. It didn't mean anything!

I hope..

To be honest, I might have felt a bit of attraction to Lily this year, but that isn't anything for Sirius to worry about. It's not like I'm in love with her or anything..

I hope..

**Hey everyone! I haven't updated in a while because I have had a few problems with 's document manager. Sorry this chapter's a bit short, but I wanted to separate the ride on the train from the time before the wedding that the Evans' house.**


	8. Short Goodbyes and Fake Sleeping

Chapter 8 - Lily P.O.V.

I yawned as I stretched my arms above my head. I looked outside the window to see that it was about noon. I could tell by looking at the position of the sun.

I glanced around the room. Remus and Thalia were sitting across from me and Sirius. They were both asleep. Thalia's head was resting in the crook of Remus' neck, and I had to say, the two of them looked pretty comfortable together.

I swear, if those two aren't together by the time we head back to Hogwarts, I don't know what I'll do.

Sirius had fallen asleep in the same position he was in before. The arm that was once around me had fallen to his side when I sat up. I poked him in the chest to see if he was really asleep. I just got a snore in return.

Honestly, these people.

I spotted James sitting down in the center of the compartment, reading a Quidditch magazine. He was the only person awake besides me.

"James?" I called out, my voice slightly hoarse from just waking up.

He quickly turned his head to face me. He obviously hadn't noticed that I had woken up. I was startled by the expression on his face. It was almost.. scared. It was like he was scared something was going to happen if he talked to me.

"Lils? What's up?" he asked shakily, ruffling his already unruly hair.

"What's wrong?" I asked, concerned. James wasn't acting like his confident, energetic self.

James glanced once at Sirius before locking his eyes with mine. I pretended to ignore it.

"N-nothing, don't worry about it," he said, ending the conversation.

It wasn't like James to end a conversation so suddenly. He was usually so active when it came to talking. Now, it was like was was afraid of something.

Before we knew it, the train had pulled into King's Cross station.

-Sirius P.O.V.-

I can't believe she actually thought I was asleep.

Well, I kind of could. I always knew I was good at 'fake sleeping.' I had used it to my advantage before.

Even though I couldn't open my eyes to watch them, I knew James had a scared expression. He was also glancing at me every now and then; I could feel it.

I'm glad Lily doesn't know what's going on. It would just confuse her and bring her mood down. I didn't want that. She was my sister and I wanted to keep her happy. Well, she was _going _to be my sister, in just a few days.

I soon felt the train slowing down. Lily yawned and nudged me 'awake.' I pretended to still be sleepy by yawning and groaning when she elbowed me. Nonetheless, I got up and grabbed both of our trunks and hauled them into the hallway and off the train. Lily followed right behind me.

I stood on the platform, waiting for Lily and the others to get off the train.

Now comes the hard part: saying goodbye.

I wasn't a sap when it came to saying goodbye, but it was just going to be hard knowing there was something different about James now. But it didn't matter, we were going to see him in a few days anyway, might as well act civil.

Thalia and Remus got off a few moments after I did. They stood next to me, waiting for the rest of them to come off. Lily exited, then James, then Alice and Frank.

"Can you guys believe it? The next time we board the train, Sirius is going to be an Evans," Lily said happily, hugging me around the waist. I smilled and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"I know," sighed Thalia. "So much is changing. And a lot has already changed, I mean look at Lils. She's a bloody Quidditch goddess."

I laughed as I saw Lily blush and smile. "Thanks Lia," she said shyly.

Alice turned her head and jumped slightly. "Oh there are my folks, come on Frank. Alright, you guys, I'll see you at the wedding!" She skipped away, leaving poor Frank to lug her trunk along with his.

Thalia was the next one to spot her parents. "Hey there are my parents. Have a nice break, everyone. I'll see you guys at the wedding!" She ran off, going faster than I have ever seen her before, while still holding her trunk.

Remus stood slighty on his toes to look over the crowd, not that he really needed it, with his height being just over six feet. "Hey guys, I think I see them towards the back. See you in a few days," he said quickly, gathering his stuff and putting on his jacket that was in his left hand. He walked away with a wave, leaving Lily and I with James.

Awkward.

James looked around, trying to find his parents among the sea of people. He soon spotted them. "Lils, Sirius, I see my parents. I'll owl you guys later, see you later," he started walking away, but then he paused and turned around to wave at me, and smile at Lily.

That dude has got to stop that.

Or I will _make _him stop.

Nevermind, that sounds too evil for my liking.

But seriously.


	9. A Talk and McGonagall Impressions

Chapter 9 - Sirius P.O.V.

Alrighty then. This is going to be a very interesting day.

The wedding is in two days, and trust me, no one is more nervous than Mum. She's been running around the house, tearing her hair out ever since Lily and I got home. Good thing Lily's here, otherwise I'd have to deal with a tempermental woman.

I literally shuddered at the thought.

James is arriving today, and I don't know how I'm supposed to feel about that. I still haven't completely forgiven him for what happened, but I guess I'm not as mad as I was before. And plus, he's my best mate, I can't stay mad at him forever.

It's 10 in the morning, and James is supposed to arrive at noon. Lily and Mum are in the backyard, setting up some last minute stuff for the reception. Did I mention that we were having it at our house? Huh, I guess it slipped my mind.

I, for one, am glad that Lily is helping Mum with the wedding. She just _enjoys_ this stuff. I have no idea why. She seems to like this planning stuff more than any other girl, and trust me, Lily is one of the least girly-ish girls I have ever met.

Currently, I'm sitting at the kitchen table, eating a bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich on an English muffin. Usually, I'm not picky about what I eat, but when I'm at home, I will only eat something Lily cooked. Mum's a decent cook, but Lily's amazing. And Drew.. he can burn water.

I finished off the last few bites, and put my dish in the sink. I would love to see the look on my father's face if he saw me now. Being a Muggle.

I glanced through the window over the kitchen sink. It had a perfect view of the backyard. Lily and Drew were holding up a white canopy, and Mum was pointing at where she wanted it. I laughed at the sight. Lils and Drew looked winded; Mum was randomly changing direction every few seconds.

I shook my head, smirking, and walked up the stairs to my bedroom. I figured I should try to clean up a little, I mean our friends were arriving in a few days, and James was arriving today. It took me about half an hour to pick up several Quidditch magazines, candy wrappers, letters from friends, and dirty clothes. When I was finished, I looked around my room proudly. It was the cleanest I had ever seen it.

I quickly looked at the clock on my bedside table. It said 10:38 AM. A little over an hour until James got here.

I decided to just rest for a while, it's been a while since I really had the chance to do so. I sat down on my bed, then just gave up, and fell back to lie on my back. That sounded stupid. I apologize profusely.

I didn't know how long I was laying there, I was too lazy to look at my clock, but after a while, I felt a weight on the edge of my bed. I blinked a few times and looked to see who or what it was. It was Lily.

Thank Merlin it was her, if it had been anyone else I might have screamed. Well, not really, but you get what I mean.

"Siri," Lily asked in a soft tone. "What's wrong? Aren't you excited? James is coming over today."

She was still oblivious to the tension between me and James. And I was glad, I didn't want her to worry.

"Yeah, Lils," I sighed, rubbing my eyes sleepily. I was only doing this to appear tired, because then maybe Lily would stop worrying. "I'm fine. Just didn't get enough sleep last night. Anyway, are you done with the wedding stuff yet?"

Lily smiled and sighed happily. "Yep, we just finished putting up the tent. Dad's going to start arranging the chairs. He said I should take a break, and after two hours of work, I was happy to oblige."

I laughed and shifted a bit towards the right end of the bed, leaving Lily some room to lie down. She rested her head on a pillow and smiled at me gratefully. I smiled back and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, my other hand was behind my head.

"Sirius," Lily said suddenly, in a a harder tone than before. It wasn't harsh, but it was serious. "What's going on between you and James? And don't even try lying."

I looked at her incredulously. How did she figure it out?

"Lils," I gasped, looking at her with disbelief. "What do you mean?"

She just narrowed her eyes. "You know what I mean. Something's going on that you're not telling me. If you don't tell me, then I'll just have to get it out of James."

I internally groaned. _Of course she'll be able to._

"Lils, it's nothing, James and I just got in a little fight. Nothing major." _That was a lie._

She cocked an eyebrow, obviously not believing me, but she didn't say anything. Boy, was I grateful for that. I really didn't want to tell Lily why I was mad at James.

"Alright, then," Lily said dismissively. She pecked me on the cheek and walked out of my room and into her own room, which was directly across the hallway from mine. She closed the door slowly and I could hear the soft thuds of drawers opening and closing.

I sighed and glanced at the clock, again. 11:32. Huh, I guess Lily and I were talking for longer than I thought. I stretched and then got up to change into some decent clothes. I wasn't going to be hanging around all day in flannel pajama pants.

From my closet, I dug out a pair of dark jeans, a white t-shirt, and a black long-sleeved shirt to go under it. I grabbed a pair of black sneakers and put them on. I walked across the hallway to Lily's room.

"Lils, it's 11:35. You better be changed, James' is going to be here in about twenty minutes," I called through her door. Not a moment later, she opened the door, fully dressed.

She was wearing a pair of dark skinny jeans, a white t-shirt underneath a gray hoodie, and gray converse shoes. Lily lectured me on Muggle clothing brands and all that stuff, just in case you were wondering.

"Well, you look comfy," I said grinning. She laughed and nodded. I offered her my arm and she hooked hers through mine. We walked down the stairs and into the living room. I sat down on one of the sofas and Lily plopped down next to me, resting her head on my shoulder.

Lily grabbed the TV remote off a table next to the couch and turned it on. She flipped through the channels for a minute then finally decided on a soccer game. I soon found myself genuinely interested in a sport other than Quidditch. I was surprised. I was becoming more of a Muggle than I thought. I liked it.

I glanced at the wall clock above the TV. It read 11:57. I realized that I was doing a lot of that lately. James would be here soon.

Before I knew it, green flames ignited in the fireplace next to us and James stepped out of it, looking both nervous and excited.

He glanced around the room and when his eyes landed on Lily, he smiled warmly at her and opened his arms for a hug. Lily laughed and walked into his arms, hugging him tightly. They both seemed so happy and I couldn't help but smile.

Then James turned towards me. Here comes the awkward moment.

He just stood there, not knowing what to do. I decided to spare the guy. I smiled and lifted one arm to insinuate the "manly-hug." James smiled as well and gratefully patted me on the back. I had forgiven him, but that didn't mean I was going to forget all about it.

Lily glanced out the window and grimaced. I raised an eyebrow at her painful expression. "Lils, what's wrong?" I asked.

She just frowned more and shook her head. It took her a moment to answer. "Um, I think Rose might end up killing Dad before the wedding," she replied sheepishly, still looking out the window.

James and I simultaneously turned our heads to look out the window. I laughed at the sight and James chuckled.

Mum was holding a pair of scissors while Drew had _millions _of ribbons draped all over him. He looked like an Egyptian mummy. Mum was obviously instructing Drew to hang ribbons in various places around the tent.

"Uh, I think I'll go help Dad before Rose murders him," Lily walked out the back door. I watched her through the window. She was pulling ribbons off her father's head while shaking her own.

"Sirius?" James said suddenly, breaking me out of my trance. "Can we talk?"

I nodded my head and gestured up the stairs. I began ascending the stairs with James following a few steps behind me. I frowned. The awkward silence between us was really starting to get to me. I couldn't stand this.

We walked into my room soundlessly. I sat on my bed, while James just stood there, looking at anything but me. I decided to make this a bit easier for the guy.

"James," I said, causing him to look at me. "I forgive you."

I laughed when I heard him sigh with relief. He smiled easily at me, now that the tension between us was gone. I patted a spot on my bed next to me and he sat down gratefully.

"Merlin, thanks, mate," he said with a chuckle. "Look, I know what happened changed some things, but-"

I cut him off. "Before you say anything, I want to know. How do you feel about Lily?"

James' smile faltered. He had expected this to happen, but he was hoping it wouldn't. I really didn't want anything to come between us, but I needed to know. Lily was going to be my sister in two days, and I wanted to know how my best mate felt about my sister.

"Pads, I really don't know. Something's changed this year, I'm sure of that, but I know it's nothing too serious," he smiled at the pun. I smirked slightly, but James could see that the playfulness wasn't in my eyes. "Sirius, I just felt something different this year. I was suddenly attracted to her. I've never felt this way about her before; I've always seen her as a sister."

I frowned. I wasn't getting straightforward answers that I wanted. "So what changed?"

"In the past years, I always knew Lily was pretty, but I was never actually attracted to her. This year, she just- wait. This seems a bit weird," James said, chuckling a bit at the end.

I was confused. "What's weird?"

The corners of James' mouth turned upwards into a small smile while he nervously laughed softly.

"I'm telling my best mate, who happens to be my crush's bro, well soon-to-be bro, what I like about her," he chuckled again, but you could tell he was nervous.

Sirius laughed a bit too, but then all traces of humor soon disappeared. His entire demeanor changed in a matter of seconds.

Sirius' expression hardened and his lips were pressed into a tight line; he somewhat resembled Professor McGonagall. "You hurt Lily, and I will kill you."

James couldn't believe it. He found himself nodding and he knew it had a frightened look on his face. If those words had come from anyone else, anyone, then he wouldn't believe them. But coming from Sirius, he knew that he wasn't lying.

**Hey guys! I'm not dead! I'm sooo sorry that I haven't updated since... however long ago. My grandmother died so I had to drop everything and fly over to the Philippines. By the way, I live in the US and the flight from the east coast to the Philippines is about 20-somthing hours. I was there for two weeks and I seldom had internet access. I'm going to try to catch up but please stick with me.**

**Dedicated to my late grandmother.**

**-Julz**


	10. The Wedding

Chapter 10 - Lily P.O.V.

I can't believe it. Today's the big day!

Rose and Dad are _finally _getting married. And that means today Sirius and I will officially be brother and sister. We're finally going to be a real family. I practically screamed at the thought. Rosaline and Andrew Evans – parents. Sirius and Lily Evans – brother and sister. Ah, wonderful.

Huh, Sirius Evans. Sounds pretty strange right now, but people will get used to it.

I am _not _going to include Petunia in our little family, and that's only because I know she doesn't want to be part of it. I would want nothing more than for her to accept who I am, and who Sirius is as well. Petunia and her boyfriend, now husband, Vernon, got married just a month after their engagement. She wanted to be, as she said, "part of a normal family free of freaks and psychos."

Anyway, I'm babbling. I babble when I'm nervous. And I have a good reason to be nervous. I'm Rose's maid of honor.

Did I mention that? Huh, I guess it slipped my mind. Whoops.

Well, Rose doesn't have any sisters, and all of her close friends deserted her when she divorced Sirius's dad. They were all part of the Pure-blood mania. Crazies..

Okay, enough about that. The wedding is supposed to start at noon, and right now, it's 10:30 AM. Sirius and I are sitting at the breakfast table, eating. I wiped my hands after I finished my egg, ham, and cheese sandwich and slouched comfortably at the table.

"Lily, when are you getting ready?" Sirius asked me through a mouthful of eggs. So it really sounded like, "Wiby, ben aut oo debten tedsy." Or something like that.

I glanced at the clock again to find that it hadn't changed. "I'll start in a few minutes. What about you?" I gave him a look that told him to swallow before speaking. Luckily he obliged.

"All I have to do is put on a suit. I'll change in about ten minutes," Sirius said quickly before stuffing a croissant in his mouth. I grimaced and looked away. Watching Sirius eat was a disturbing sight.

I was surprised that I could cook enough food for the both of us when Sirius had the appetite of an elephant.

I murmered an okay before walking up the stairs to my room. I pulled a dress out of my closet and smiled at its beauty. Rose had great taste.

My dress was pretty simple. It was a clover green sleeveless Jersey dress with a black waist band. I had collaborated with Rose to make sure my dress color wasn't something that clashed with my hair. I wasn't being selfish, I wanted to make sure I looked good for _her _wedding. And plus, green was her favorite color. It was a win-win.

I was also given plain black flats. They were simple as well. They only had a intersecting ribbon pattern at the toe. They went well with the dress and I was surprised to find myself enjoying being girly for once. This was new to me.

I curled my hair and clipped a portion of my hair back into a half ponytail. I left my sidebangs as they were, but I curled them slightly to make them neater. I also curled a few strands of my auburn hair and left them hanging in front, framing my pale face.

I didn't apply a lot of makeup. Just blush, lip gloss, mascara, and eye shadow. By the time I was finished, it was 11:23 AM. _Perfect timing_, I thought to myself, smiling happily.

I gracefully walked down the stairs, trying to get used to the feeling of the flats. It was a weird feeling to me, a girl who lived for sneakers and cleats. I grinned when I saw the people standing in the living room, chatting casually.

Thalia, Alice, James, Remus, and Sirius were standing in the middle of the room, dressed for the wedding and smiling happily. It really was a warming sight.

Thalia's hair was tied back into a low ponytail. Sections of hair at her temples were braided and tied into the ponytail, giving her a slight resemblance to a Greek goddess. She was wearing a cliff brown tank dress. It had a deep V-neck, but it was nothing too revealing. The straps had a twisting pattern and there was a ruffle trim around the thin waist band. It was both casual and attractive.

Alice's short blond hair was in its usual style – untouched. And I understood why she didn't do anything with it. Alice's every day look was beautiful. And plus, her hair is a pain to style. She was wearing a black sleevless V-neck dress. It was slightly ruffled around the waist band, but like Thalia's, it didn't poof out. It just flowed down to just above her knees. It looked like a night dress, but it worked for her even though she was wearing it at noon.

Sirius, Remus, and James looked pretty much the same. They were all wearing suits, with black ties. Sirius' hair looked neat, so I could tell that he combed it. Well of course he did, it was his mother's wedding day.

James' hair was the same. Unruly yet not obnoxiously messy. I knew he tried to tame it, but it just wouldn't cooperate with him. It never did. But I had to say, I think his hair looks better messy than neat. The neat style just doesn't fit his casual, friendly personality.

Remus looked tired and a little weak, and it was because the full moon was just few days ago. His fragile appearance was covered up with the huge smile and bright eyes on his face.

All five pairs of eyes turned to look at me as I descended the staircase. Alice and Thalia's eyes lit up and they charged at me, pulling me into a tight hug.

"Oh Merlin, Lily! I missed you!" Thalia squealed, rocking from side to side on the balls of her feet while squeezing me tighter around the waist. I was going to drop a dress size because of this girl's strength. My waist already felt smaller. "Wow, you look gorgeous! I've never seen you in a dress before!"

I blushed. It was true, I had never worn a dress in front of my friends. Only Rose, Dad, and Sirius have ever seen me in one, and that was only one time for a family Christmas party two years ago.

"Well, I have to say the same for you, Lia," I said, looking her up and down. "I've only ever seen you wear our Hogwarts skirt." She smiled and gave me a look that said "You shouldn't be talking, you're also describing yourself."

"Lils, she's right. You look beautiful!" Alice cooed, pinching my cheek playfully. I giggled and swatted her hand away.

"Thanks, Ali," I said, blushing again. "You look amazing as well." I grinned when she blushed bright red for a second.

"They're both right, Lils," Sirius said, stepping out from the circle they had formed. "I've only seen you in a dress once. And that was when you were forced to when we were thirteen."

Huh, so I guess I wasn't the only one who remembered that. Good to know.

"Yeah, Lils, y-you look b-beautiful," James stammered, his neck and cheeks flushing red. I blushed and smiled, but I was confused. Why did James suddenly feel uncomfortable around me? And does Sirius look irritated? It's his mum's wedding for crying out loud!

"It's true, Lily, you look great," Remus complimented, looking at James and Sirius weirdly. At least I wasn't the only one who was lost.

"Thanks, you guys. You all look great," I glanced at the wall clock. It was 11:35. "Hey, we should get going," I reminded them, turning to grab a gray jumper off the couch.

They all nodded and grabbed their respective coats. Once we got outside, we walked to the side of the house, where trees casted shadows dark enough to conceal even the brightest light. There, we transformed. Yes, I just said _transformed_.

Sirius, James, Thalia, Remus, Alice, and I are animagi. We're not registered because the Ministry would keep a _very_ close eye on us especially, considering we're only fifteen right now.

Sirius' form is a great black shaggy dog. We sometimes joked that he looked like the Grim. He would just laugh and shrug it off. We call him Padfoot.

James is a majestic brown stag. He was the fastest runner out of us, as a human or a stag. We call him Prongs.

Thalia's form is a phoenix. In this form, she could do anything a real phoenix could do, including heal someone with her tears. We began calling her Ruffles as a joke, but soon she got so used to it we kept the nickname.

Remus is a werewolf. That wasn't his animagus form, but he was really a werewolf. This caused him to become a wolf as an animagus. We called him Moony, for obvious reasons.

Alice became a dove. It fit her personality perfectly. She was gentle, kind, caring, sweet. We called her Snow. I might have chosen something different, but Thalia said it one day and Alice screamed, "I'M GOING TO BE CALLED SNOW!"

As for me, I was a doe. Everyone found it quite strange when I first transformed into a doe. They looked between me and James, seeming confused. It wasn't common to have coordinating animagi forms. I was the second fastest, right behind James. They all called me Bambi.

We all transformed and crept into the forest next to our house. It was one of the best things about our house, in my opinion. We all ran, or in Thalia and Alice's case, flew to the church. We stopped in the secluded parking lot behind it which was reserved for clergy and people attending any special event occuring that day. I checked to see if anyone was there before I morphed back into my normal self. Everyone else followed my lead and changed back.

I grinned as I looked my dress over again. It looked as perfect as it did before we transformed, and for that I was glad. I don't think I could fix any flaws when we only had fifteen minutes until the ceremony.

"Lils?" Sirius called out, bring me out of my thoughts. "I think you should go find Mum, we only have a few more minutes."

My eyes widened and i felt blood rush up to my face. I had completely forgotten that I had to go find Rose! Luckily, we still had fifteen minutes, so I still had time.

"Right, right, thanks, Siri," I said, pecked him on the cheek, and ran through the church's back doors. I quickly found the room Rose was supposed to be in and calmly walked in, trying to control my rapid breathing.

While I walked in, I contemplated something that confused me greatly. When I kissed Sirius on the cheek, I saw that James looked sad. I don't know why though; shouldn't he be happy? It _is _Rose and my dad's wedding day.

"Lily! Thank goodness you're here!" Rose cried happily as she rushed at me with her arms open for a hug. I smiled warmly and walked into her arms. She squeezed my mid-section tightly before moving her hands to my shoulders. She held me at arms length and looked me up and down with an awed expression on her face.

"Oh, Lily! You look absolutely gorgeous! That dress is perfect for you!" I laughed and blushed.

"Thanks, Rose. But I'm not the beautiful one here, that's you," I said, pulling her back into a hug. "Rose, this is it. You're going to be my mum. I can't call you Rose anymore." I smiled as she pulled back again to look me in the eye.

"Now, Lily, I already told you. Nothing I do will ever make me replace your mum, and I will not try to take her place. She is your mother, I am not." I could tell she wanted to say more, but she wanted me to say something first.

"Rose, you're my mum now. I honestly can't remember much of her, and I have tried. I just know that she was a great person, but I can't remember any more. You have been my mother ever since I was eleven. Now I'm fifteen, I'm growing up. I have thought of you as my mum ever since you started dating my dad. He loves you and so do I," I finished with small tears in my eyes.

Rose shed a few tears, but her delicate make-up stayed completely intact. It was as if some higher power wanted everything to be perfect for her special day. I know how cheesy and cliche that sounds, but if you were standing in the room that we were in, you would definitely feel something.

"Thank you, Lily," she laughed a faint laugh. "You know, I've always wanted a daughter, and you are the perfect one. Beautiful, kind, caring, selfless, understanding, everything."

I laughed and we hugged for what could be the hundreth time before we walked out of the room and to the doors leading to the main part of the church. There, we would meet the other people who were in the procession, including the flower girls, and my dad's father.

You see, Rose's father, Sirius' grandfather, disowned her when she divorced Sirius' dad. He wanted his precious daughter Rosaline to follow in his footsteps and continue the Pure-blood line. So my grandfather was going to walk her down the aisle.

Rose and my grandpa hooked arms and the doors opened slowly infront of the flower girls, who were in the front of the line. They started skipping down the aisle, happily throwing red rose petals while their green dresses bounced around their legs.

Soon, it was my turn to go. I took a deep breath and glanced at Rose and grandpa behind me. They both gave me encouraging smiles and nodded. I walked in, and heads turned to face me. I felt a light blush creep up to my pale face.

I smiled, but I was confused. As I looked around, I spotted James sitting near the front with Thalia and Alice. He was staring at me with a.. strange look on his face. I couldn't name it.

I won't go into detail about the wedding, mostly because I wasn't paying attention to most of it. All I could say is that it was beautiful and truly amazing. I was distracted by the look in Rose and dad's eyes. They really loved each other, and for that I was glad.

Before we knew it, all of the guests were sitting in our backyard. It was time for the reception, and also time for the people in the bridal party to dance. Rose and dad took the floor first, dancing slowly while gazing lovingly into each other's eyes. I felt my lips curl into a fond smile.

Sirius stood up from his seat next to me and offered his hand to me. "May I have this dance, beautiful sister of mine?" he said, with an amused smile on his face. It wasn't a smile that said he had just pulled a prank, it was one that was sincere and said that he was enjoying.

I smiled and placed my hand gently on his. "Of course you may, handsome brother of mine."

He pulled me to my feet and led my to the dancefloor, a few feet away from Ro- mum and dad.

"So, sister dearest," he said with a happy twinkle in his eyes. I chuckled. "What did you think of the wedding?"

"Well, brother dearest, I thought it was amazing. What about you?"

He put a thoughtful face on, which made me laugh. "I thought it was wonderful. But I really can't wait until we get back to Hogwarts."

I nodded. "Me too, I miss Quidditch and magic. By the way, thanks again for the broom," I said sincerely and kissed him on the cheek. He grinned.

Sirius had kept his word and had gotten me a broomstick. And an awesome one, at that. He got me a Nimbus 1500, the newest model. I was _ecstatic _when I found out.

"You're welcome. It was no biggy. Just make sure you win our next game against Slytherin," he added. I giggled and promised that I would do my best.

"Lily, what do you think is going to happen when we get back to school?"

I paused. He didn't need to say anything more to clarify. I already knew what he meant, and to be completely honest, I was scared that something was going to happen to him.

"Sirius, we'll make sure everything works out. And isn't this what you- we, wanted? You and Rose wanted to get away from your past and now you're in the present, as part of the Evans family. We'll get through this," I bit my lip. It was a habit Sirius knew about. I did that when I was really thinking about something. "And plus if anyone gives us a hard time, I'll just hex them. And you don't want to know what I have in store for those people."

Sirius barked out a laugh and spun me around. I giggled as my dress swished around my legs, tickling me.

The song ended and Sirius pulled me into a hug. I hugged him tightly and kissed him on the cheek.

"You're a great brother, you know that?" I told him with a wide smile on my face.

"Yep, I know," he said cheekily and kissed me on the cheek. I pouted playfully. "And you're an amazing sister."

"May I cut in?" Someone asked from behind me. I spun around to find an amused Remus standing there, holding his hand out. I looked at Sirius and he nodded.

Sirius walked over to Remus, patted him on the shoulder, and strolled over to our table. I placed my hand over Remus's and we started to dance.

"So, Lils, how's everything?" Remus said awkwardly, trying to strike a casual conversation. I giggled and smiled.

"Everything's good, I mean my dad just got married, and I got a new mother and a brother," I said in the most casual tone I could muster without laughing. He chuckled.

"I don't think you got a _new _mother and brother, I think they were always there."

I smiled sincerely. "I think you're right. Sirius has been like a brother to me ever since we were eleven, and we met before we got to Hogwarts. Rose has been like a mother to me since she started dating my dad. I think the only that that has changed is the fact that it's all real now, actually there. You know?"

Remus nodded and I could actually see in his eyes that he really did understand. "At least you finally have the family you deserve."

"I think everything's going to be a little strange when we get back to Hogwarts. Did you know that the professors are going to start calling him _Mr. Evans_? And I swore I once heard him muttering to himself about plan to announce that he was my brother to the _entire _school!" I cried, slightly panicking. That was not a smart plan.

Remus rolled his eyes and placed his hands firmly on my shoulders, steadying me. "Lily, everything is going to be fine. And so what? If something does happen, Sirius would beat the person who insulted his new family. You know how loyal he is. That's why he's in Gryffindor," he said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

I sighed and looked down at the floor. "I guess," I mumbled. Remus's hands shook slightly and I could tell he was laughing. I snapped my head up and stuck my tongue out, making him laugh harder.

He moved his arms so that he could envelope me in a hug. "Trust me, Lils, everything's going to be find," he whispered, rubbing my back as if he were lulling me to sleep.

I did the same to him. "Thanks, Rem, you're a great friend, you know that, right? Like a brother to me," I said, meaning every word I said. We shared another genuine smile before we were interrupted.

"Uh, Lily?" someone asked from behind me. I spun around, causing my dress to puff out slightly at the bottom, and saw James standing there, looking nervous yet determined.

"Yes James?" I asked, confused as to why he was suddenly so cautious. Remus seemed to understand something. His eyes widened and he nodded in a very exaggerated manner.

"I-I'll just leave you two, I'll see you guys later," he said, giving James a knowing smile, to which he responded with a glare. I looked at them both with a lost look on my face.

"L-Lils?" James asked shyly, glancing at me from behind his surprisingly long lashes. I had never noticed that until now. "Do you want to dance?"

I smiled and nodded, blushing for some strange reason. "Sure, I'd love to."

He grinned, and he turned back into the James I have always known. The confident, funny, smart, random James.

"So, how do you feel? You know, with everything that's going on," he asked, carefully placing his hands on the small of my back. I shrugged as I placed my hands around his neck.

"Nothing seems different. Sirius and I have always been siblings, and Rose has always been my mum. I just know that I'm excited to go back to Hogwarts in a few days," I bit my lip, thinking about something. "It seems that the most changes are actually occuring at Hogwarts."

James cocked his head slightly to the side and raised an eyebrow. "How?"

I pursed my lips, thinking of a way to word what I wanted to say. "Well, for one, the professors are going to start calling Sirius 'Mr. Evans.' And just imagine the Slytherins. You know how cruel they are to Muggleborns. Now they're going to target all of us because you're friends with the 'Mudblood family.' And don't even get me start-"

"Lily." James said flatly, cutting me off. "Don't call yourself a Mudblood. You're so worth so much more than those slimy, good for nothing Slytherins. And that's why so many people love you. Including me," James said, blushing and looking down at his shoes shyly.

I blushed as well and flushed scarlet red. His words were so kind, and I could tell he sincerely meant them. "Thanks, James. You know, I think of you and Remus as brothers as well. And right now, you are a _great _brother."

For some reason, this made James look slightly disappointed, but he quickly hid it as if it no longer meant anything. I was confused.

"James, are you okay?" I asked, detaching one of my hands from behind James's neck to tilt his head up. I looked into his hazel eyes, searching for something to tell me what I wanted to know.

James furrowed his brow and spoke in a choked voice. "Yeah, everything's alright."

* * *

**Aw poor James!**

**I'm trying to update as fast as I can without making the chapters sloppy and.. bad. And I know Lily is supposed to be really smart, but for some reason, she just can't figure out why James is suddenly nervous around her. Let's just say she's not the brightest when it comes to these types of things. Well, at least right now. **

**_If anyone wants to see what Lily's, Rose's, Thalia's, or Alice's dress looks like, just leave a review or PM me._ **

**I wanted to say thank you to everyone who gave me their sympathy and condolences. It really means a lot to me, knowing that there are good people out there willing to help me even though they don't know me personally. I know that sounds cheesy and fake, but I really mean it. Thanks everyone!**

**And as a little thank you, I tried my hardest to write a long chapter for you guys. Nine pages long on LibreOffice. I hope you liked it.**

**Lots of love, Jay**


	11. Awkward Announcements

Chapter 11 – Sirius P.O.V.

Ah, it feels good to be going back to Hogwarts. Back to the place where we can pull pranks, fly brooms, eat _a lot_, and most importantly, do magic.

I'd say the wedding went pretty well. Everything went off without a hitch, and not a single problem occurred.

At least, not that I know of.

Lily and I had to dance, as she was the Maid of Honor and I was Best Man. It was fun, even though I never really liked dancing in the first place.

Right now, I was standing on Platform 9 ¾ with Lily, James, Remus, Thalia, and Alice standing in a distorted circle around me. Everyone had decided to stay at our house until the end of break, seeing as we only had about three days left of it after the wedding.

It was a bit crowded, but we made it work. Thalia and Alice stayed in Lily's room while James and Remus were in mine. Both of our rooms were large enough to fit the extra people, but it was a bit of a squeeze. I was a bit worried when I realized that meant James was only across the hall from Lily.. but then I thought about how it was pretty much the same thing at Hogwarts.

"Hey, Padfoot!" James bellowed, waving his arms frantically trying to get my attention. He looked somewhat like a bird trying to fly but failing miserably. "I think we should get on the train, you know, before it leaves without us!" I smiled sheepishly and ran after him and onto the train.

Alice quickly found us an empty compartment and we all filed in. Remus, James and I threw all of the trunks onto the shelves above the seats. Lily patted a spot on the seat beside her and I sat down. I saw a flash of red and I felt a slight weight on my shoulder. It was Lily's head.

"Tired, Bambi?" I cooed playfully, as if I was talking to a baby. She tilted her head up and glared at me.

"Yes, but if you ever say _anything _in that voice again, you will never be able to give me nieces and nephews, got it?" She growled, looking irritated. Her eyes had narrowed to slits and her cheeks had flushed a deep scarlet color.

To be honest, I really was scared. She looked ready to do whatever she was threatening to do. So I decided it would be best if I didn't say anything else for the rest of the ride, just to be safe.

In a matter of seconds, Lily's deep, slow breathing could be heard. I smiled. At least I was safe for now.

James and Remus sat down on the other seat, and Remus gestured for Thalia to sit next to him. She blushed and shyly obliged.

Ha, shy Thalia makes me want to laugh.

But I won't, because then Lily would kill me for waking her up. I want kids some day, so I won't let that happen.

Alice pulled a fashion magazine out of her trunk and sat down at Thalia's feet, seeming fully engrossed in whatever junk was in that thing.

Remus and Thalia were engaged in some deep conversation which included Thalia's high pitched giggle, Remus' deep throaty laugh, and a few playful slaps on the arm. I don't want to know what they were talking about. All of their childish flirting was starting to make me nauseous.

James was sitting quietly in the corner closest to the window. I narrowed my eyes at him when I saw what- or should I say _who _he was looking at. Sure, I wasn't mad at him anymore, but that didn't mean I was entirely okay with his new-found crush on my sister.

Ah, I loved calling Lily my sister. I loved calling Drew my dad. It was satisfying. It made it seem as if I was never related to my father and my brother Regulus in the first place.

I guess as long as Lily's not going to get hurt, I'm fine with James liking her. But if that bloke does one thing that hurts her in _any _way, I will rip-

Sorry, got a little side-tracked.

Oh well.

* * *

Soon, we found ourselves riding in the carriages up to the glistening castle. Within minutes, we were all seated in the Great Hall, enjoying the delicious feast courtesy of the Hogwarts house elves.

After the feast, all of us were sitting in the Gryffindor Common Room, happy to be back at Hogwarts. It was noisy and crowded, because pretty much everyone else in Gryffindor decided that they would hang around the common room as well. I figured this was the best time.

I got up and stood on a coffee table in the middle of the room. Lily, Alice, Thalia, and James all looked confused. Remus was the only one who knew what I was doing.

I cleared my throat before casting a charm to make my voice louder. "May I have everyone's attention please? Alright, thank you. I would like to announce that I am no longer going by the name Sirius _Black_. I am now Sirius _Evans_. I am now Lily Evans's step-brother. Thank you for your time, and remember, I am no longer Black," I paused and my eyes widened. "Wow, that sounded racist," I added quickly and flashed an apologetic smile before stepping off the table and walking back to where my friends sat openly gaping at me.

"Sirius," Lily started, sounding emotionless, but I knew that wouldn't last for long.

"What." Thalia continued.

"Was." Alice gasped.

"_That!_" Lily screeched, throwing her hands up in the air exasperatedly. James and Remus were still sitting there, staring at me, speechless, with their mouths wide open. James's mouth was open so wide I could throw a baseball into it without touching his lips.

I shrugged as if what had just happened was an everyday occurrence. "I wanted every Gryffindor to know who I now am. I have something else planned for tomorrow at breakfast in the Great Hall," I replied, smirking at the thought.

Remus looked at me as if to say "Well, as long as it doesn't have another racist comment, I'm all for it."

I was brought out of my thoughts by the uncomfortable look on James's face. I figured he was probably shocked by the way I announced my new status, but it might have been something else. Then I got it.

James was uncomfortable because my announcement just reminded him of the fact that I was now Lily's, his crush's, brother. If that was me, I would be comfortable as well.

And right now, I'm uncomfortable because I'm saying the word "uncomfortable" too much. I have to stop doing that.

Oh well. I know this sounds insensitive, but I'm not going to do anything about it. If I talked to him, it would just make this situation even more awkward. And plus, he's never going to be able to escape the fact that I _am _Lily's brother now.

I should probably change the subject. They were still all staring at me with their mouths open. Ha, they somewhat resembled dead fish on dry land..

"Oh, hey," I piped up, smiling widely. "We have Quidditch practice tomorrow!"

More awkward silence and creepy staring.

* * *

Things were slightly awkward that night in our dorm, but things blew over when we woke up in the morning. James and Remus seemed to have accepted my bold, but now that I think about it, slightly random, actions.

Classes started again this morning, so the three of us changed into our uniforms before heading down to get some breakfast. In the common room, we caught up with the girls, who were just coming down their staircase, laughing and chatting happily.

"Morning, sister dearest," I sang, grinning cheekily at Lily. She laughed and smiled back.

"Morning, brother dearest," she repeated, skipping over to me and giving me a hug.

I couldn't help but notice James's sad expression when she did this. I sighed internally. I can't believe Lily hasn't figured out that James has a crush on her. He was making it so obvious. Even Remus, who is blind when it comes to stuff like this, saw his interest in her.

I ignored James's slightly depressed behavior as we made our way down to the Great Hall.

I hope he doesn't act like this forever.

* * *

The six of us found seats at the end of the Gryffindor table. Thalia, Lily, and Alice sat on one side while Remus, James and I sat on the other side. I tuned everyone's voices out as I thought about what I was about to do.

I was serious, wait- haha, okay. I was serious when I said I had something planned during breakfast in the Great Hall. I am going to announce that I am no longer Sirius Black, but Sirius Evans.

I grinned widely as I stepped onto the bench I was sitting on. Thalia, Alice, and Remus looked confused, but only Lily and James remembered what I had said last night in the common room. Lily looked scared, but I could see the excitement in her bright green eyes. I smiled. She was finally becoming more adventurous. Success.

I cleared my throat before casting a charm on my voice. "Greetings students, teachers, and Slytherins!" I roared, earning a few chuckles from Gryffindors, Ravenclaws, Hufflepuffs, and even Dumbledore. "I have an announcement I would like to.. well announce. As some of you know, many events took place over Christmas break. My mother married Andrew Evans. And for those of you smart enough to understand what that means, good job. And for you Slytherins who didn't, that means I am now Sirius _Evans_, proud step-brother of Lily Evans." I glanced around the hall and saw the sneering face of my cousin Bellatrix and the somewhat upset somewhat mad face of my _old _brother Regulus. "Thank you for your time. Now I have one last thing to do," I informed them, taking out my wand.

Now, even Lily and James looked confused. They didn't know what else I was planning. I grinned then waved my wand while muttering a few words under my breath. The ceiling in the Great Hall was charmed to show the outdoor sky. Soon, the ceiling was manipulated to have _Sirius Evans _spelled out in the clouds. Next to it was a cloud/picture of a dog.

I grinned smugly as I stepped down from the bench and sat back down. Everyone was staring speechlessly at me, including James, Lily, Thalia, Remus and Alice. The only Gryffindor who wasn't gaping at me was my cousin Nymphadora, or Tonks, as she liked to be called. She was staring at the ceiling fascinated at the simple yet complicated looking charm work.

I received shocked stares from pretty much everyone else in the Great Hall. As far as I could see, the only person who didn't look surprised was Dumbledore. He actually looked rather pleased and satisfied about the whole thing. It was as if he knew I was going to do this, and I had done it right by his standards. His spontaneous, odd standards.

Ah, Dumbledore. Such a strange person.

* * *

The day went by quickly enough. Classes were normal. Boring, long, boring, dreadful, boring. The usual.

The only thing that got me through our classes was the fact that we had Quidditch practices after. Lily, James, Thalia and I were all excited to go because it was our last practice before our game against Slytherin.

Soon, it was five o'clock and the four of us were heading down to the Quidditch pitch for practice, dressed in our robes with our brooms slung over our shoulders. Thalia and Lily had tied their long hair up into high ponytails and were looking energized and pumped. I sounded like a person straight out of a Muggle sports drink commercial.

Hey, I take Muggle Studies.

When we got down there, James called all of the players to attention. "Everyone listen up! We're going to go through some drills and then we're going to review the plays we have planned for tomorrow's game."

By the time we were finished, we only had twenty minutes left to get some dinner before the dished disappeared. The girls' hair were falling loose out of their ponytails, and their faces were flushed red from all of the flying.

James and I probably looked just as tired. I glanced into a mirror in the locker room and saw that my face was red and sweaty and my hair was disheveled. James looked about the same.

James had us Beaters practice our aim when we were hitting the bludgers. Dummies were floating around on fake brooms around the Quidditch pitch, and we had to hit the bludger towards them. It sounds easy, but bludgers aren't the most cooperative things to work with.

Our seeker spent most of practice just chasing after the snitch. After he caught it, James would just set it loose again and tell him to try to find it faster. I felt bad for the poor guy.

The Chasers were the people I felt _really _bad for. I didn't understand why James made them push themselves so hard. After all, he was a Chaser himself.

Someone had charmed practice bludgers – bludgers that flew around and came very close to the players, but wouldn't actually hit them – to only chase after the Chasers. While those were flying around, the Chasers had to fly laps around the pitch. Then, they had to practice their catching and passing while the bludgers were still roaming the field. Then came the normal penalty shot stuff.

The keeper just floated by the hoops, casually and nonchalantly saving goals, and every once and a while letting them pass. He was probably the luckiest guy on the team when it came to practices. He didn't have to do as much as the rest of us.

When we finally arrived in the Great Hall to grab something to eat, Remus and Alice's jaws dropped at the sight of us. Then they just burst into laughter.

"L-look at y-you!" Alice gasped, trying to muffle her laughter with her small hand, but failing. "Did you g-get hit by the Hogwarts Express or s-something?"

I glared at her. "Haha, very funny," I said sarcastically.

She smirked and stopped laughing like a maniac, but she was still chuckling. "I'm sorry but you guys look _terrible_. James must have worked you guys to death."

James smiled sheepishly and put his hands up in defeat. "I just want to win the game tomorrow."

Everyone laughed and the tense atmosphere vanished. It was times like this when I was glad I had such great friends. As cheesy and sappy as that sounds, it's true.

"Well, after tonight's bloody terrifying practice, we better win."

Ah, James. It was only terrifying because you made it so.

* * *

**Hey everyone! I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who reviewed my last chapter and past ones. When I started this chapter, I had 29 reviews. Do you think that we can get at least 35 reviews?**

**If you liked this chapter, please take a second to review. It keeps me motivated to update more quickly.**

**I wanted to dedicate another chapter to my late grandmother.**

**I hope you're proud of me and happy in heaven where you belong.**

**Lots of love, Jay**


	12. Quidditch Tragedies

Chapter 12 - Sirius P.O.V.

Only Merlin knows how anxious I am for today's game against Slytherin. We're _definitely _going to crush them, with Lily as one of our Chasers and James as our captain. Thalia was just as good as James, but Lily was obviously better. And I'm not just saying that because she's my sister.

I woke up early this morning. I was up before Remus, and he was always the first one out of bed. I knew I wouldn't be able to fall back asleep, so I showered and changed before walking down to the common room to wait for the rest of them. And when I arrived downstairs, I was surprised to find a certain someone sitting on one of the plush armchairs by the fire.

Lily was dressed in her Gryffindor sweater and black sweatpants. The usual outfit that she wore underneath her Quidditch robes. Her hair was tied up into a high ponytail and her side bangs were braided at the temple and tied back into the ponytail. She was fidgeting uncomfortably in her seat, as if she was anxious or impatient. I chuckled softly. She reminded me of our earlier years together, when we were eleven. She almost always acted this way.

Well, that was before Hogwarts, where her confidence grew. But to me, it was still a comforting yet amusing thought.

"Lily?" I asked and she spun around looking at me with wide, startled eyes before relaxing. "Are you okay? Why are you up so early?"

She raised an eyebrow at me, as if she were challenging me. "I was going to ask the same of you, Sirius."

I smirked at her. It was my fault she had a sharp tongue. I shrugged indifferently. "I couldn't sleep. I guess I was too excited for the game today."

Lily nodded, understanding. She took a deep breath before plopping back down on the chair was was occupying. "Me too."

I walked over to her and seated myself on the arm of the chair she was sitting on. "Oh, come on, Lils. You know we're going to crush them. I mean, we _do _have the best female Chaser in the history of Gryffindor: _Ms. Lily Evans_," I said in an overly dramatic voice.

Lily blushes at what she thinks is an exaggerated compliment, but is really true. "Thanks, Siri," she said, smiling at me and glancing at me with kind yet slightly sleepy eyes.

I open my arms for a hug and she walks into them, chuckling. I squeeze my arms around her tightly, and she gasps. "Siri-irius! C-can't- bre-breathe!"

I smooth her hair back and pull her head closer to me. "Shh, don't ruin the moment," I cooed, smirking.

* * *

A few hours after I found Lily in the common room, all of us were sitting in the Great Hall, eating breakfast before the big game. The atmosphere was tense, but that was only because the Slytherins made it so.

The Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs were supporting us Gryffindors, and the Slytherins were obviously annoyed by it. They hated us, so they automatically hated anyone who supported us.

When all six of us walked into the Great Hall, James, Lily, Thalia and I in the front, and Alice and Remus behind, the four of us on the team were greeted with cheers and loud applause from the rest of the team, the Gryffindors, Ravenclaws, and Hufflepuffs. The Slytherins just scowled and glared. Lily blushed at the attention, but James, Thalia and I grinned widely and savored the praise. We were used to it by now, but Lily was still relatively new.

Lily barely touched anything at the table, and she wasn't planning to eat until I practically shoved a piece of toast into her mouth while she was talking. Ironically, I pushed the toast in her face while she was saying, "I am _not _hungry so I am _not _going to eat!"

After a somewhat normal breakfast, all of the team members exited the Great Hall together, leaving to change into our Quidditch robes and then walk down to the pitch.

Once there, we all gathered in the changing rooms for the normal pre-game pep talk from James.

"Alright everyone," James bellowed, clapping his hands together. Everyone flinched at the sudden noise. "This is it. Although it's not our last game, it is the most important one of the year. Today, it's Gryffindor versus Slytherin. Now today, we _have _to win. It is not an option to lose.

We have to win not only for ourselves but for the rest of our fellow Gryffindors. We need to show everyone that us Gryffindors are not to be toyed with. We need to show those Slytherins that they can't push everyone around and expect people to respect them.

We _will_ win. This is our chance. We are brave, we are strong, we are Gryffindors!"

The rest of the team, even the girls, stood up and roared with appreciation. Literally. We actually sounded like a bunch of lions.

Lily was beaming with determination and confidence. She looked as if she had played this sport her entire life. She was that comfortable with the whole situation.

I glanced around the room and saw many of the other team members with the same expression on their faces. James definitely nailed the pep talk this time.

We were going to win, and we were going to crush those Slytherins.

* * *

"Welcome Hogwarts students and teachers to today's Quidditch match: Slytherin versus Gryffindor!" Remus yelled into the microphone. He was the school commentator for Quidditch games.

The entire Hogwarts student body, yes, even the Slytherins, roared with excitement at Remus' words. Everyone was always so energetic when it came to Quidditch. It was a _big _deal at Hogwarts.

"Now here comes the players! The mighty and brave Gryffindors!" Remus introduced, and the Gryffindors, Ravenclaws, and Hufflepuffs went wild. Cheers and screams echoed around the pitch.

"Seeker Trent Richards! Keeper Gideon Prewett! Beaters Adrian Matthews and Sirius Evans!" Remus announced, and I was glad he remembered to say 'Evans' instead of 'Black.' A lot of people were still messing up when it came to my current surname.

"Captain and Chaser, James Potter! Chasers Thalia Jones and Lily Evans!" The crowd, minus the Slytherins, erupted in cheers right after Remus said Lily's name. As we flew out onto the field, I could see Lily's pale face flush red out of embarassment. I barked out a laugh while I circled the pitch.

"Now the Slytherins," Remus said in a considerably less enthusiastic tone. A light, weak sound came from the Slytherin part of the stadium. I chuckled at their attempt at cheering.

"Seeker Timothy Garnier, Keeper Mark Skaire, Beaters Darren Holmes and Dean Hesner, Captain and Chaser Jason Lennox and Chasers Adrienne Mairin and Bronwyn Fields."

The players flew out onto the pitch and were greeted with boos from everyone else in the audience besides the Slytherins, who were trying to drown out the boos but were failing.

Madam Marques, the Quidditch referee, flew out onto the field and gave us the usual before game speech. Fair game, no intentional violence, blah blah blah.

I can't tell you exactly how the game went for the first few minutes because it was pretty hard to keep track of everyone while I'm trying to defend my team. After a few minutes, the score was 90-20 to Gryffindor. We were definitely going to win.

Then the worst thing ever happened.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see a flash of red zooming around the pitch. As I focused more, I could see that it was Lily flying towards the Slytherin hoops with the Quaffle tucked securely under her arm. She was quickly gaining speed and was very close to the hoops.

One of the Slytherin Beaters, Darren Holmes, came out of nowhere, tightly gripping his bat. A Bludger came straight at him and he took his chance and smacked it as hard as he could.

I tried to fly over to stop it but I was too slow.

The speeding Bludger was heading straight for the Slytherin goals.

Lily.

* * *

Lily P.O.V.

This was it. I had another chance to score.

So far, I had scored five of the nine shots Gryffindor made. James made three and Thalia made one. I had the Quaffle in my posession and was approaching the Slytherin goals.

Then I was falling.

I felt as if I was sinking towards the bottom of an endless pool. I felt weightless, but I also felt as if I was ten times heavier than my normal weight.

I tried to open my eyes, but if I did, then I would only be greeted by flashing colors which hurt my eyes. The wind howled in my ears, but it sounded as if there were other things there as well.

People were screaming. Colors were flashing. The ground was approaching.

The last thing I saw was Sirius's face contorted in horror before I was embraced by the darkness.

* * *

Sirius P.O.V.

It's all my fault. Lily was hurt because of me.

Moments after she got hit, Trent caught the snitch. He saw what had happened and that caused him to look for the snitch three times as hard as he was before. Everyone wanted to game to end so we could check on Lily.

Quidditch rules state that a game can not end until a seeker has caught the snitch. They were pretty messed up rules, though. You couldn't end the game even because of an injury. You either put someone in to substitute or you play without them.

No one celebrated when the snitch was caught. Everyone was too preoccupied with Lily, who was lying in a heap on the green Quidditch pitch.

As soon as Madame Marques blew the whistle, James, Thalia and I flew down and landed on the ground close to where Madame Pomfrey was already attending to Lily. I approached them cautiously, afraid of what I would see.

She looked as if she was asleep. One of her hands was casually by her head while the other was close to her waist. One leg was bent slightly in a comfortable position. This actually was the position Lily usually slept in.

"Will she be alright?" I asked as soon as I was within earshot of Madame Pomfrey.

She put up two hands, warning up to give Lily some room. "You may see her later, but right now I need to take her to the Hospital Wing for further treatment."

Madame Pomfrey whipped out her wand and started levitating Lily's body towards the castle, leaving everyone else on the crowded field. All of the Gryffindor team members plus Alice, Frank and Remus were huddled together, sharing looks of sorrow and fear.

Thalia and Alice looked hartbroken, as if she had died rather than hit by a Bludger. "Oh, L-Lily, I hope she'l be o-okay," the girls said in thick voices, trying hard not to cry.

Remus wrapped a soothing arm around Thalia's shoulders and she let out a strangled wail before launching herself onto Remus, throwing her arms around his neck. He looked shocked but his expression was soon exchanged with one of sadness and sympathy.

Alice was sobbing onto Frank's shoulder, while he rubbed her back comfortingly. I looked at her face and saw that it was tear-stained and blotchy from crying.

The rest of the school headed back into the castle a few minutes after. I checked the time and saw that it was nearly one o'clock.

"Hey, I think we should go up to the Hospital Wing around two," I said, sounded emotionless. "That'll give Madame Pomfrey enough time with Lily."

Everyone nodded and we silently walked up to the Gryffindor common room.

For an hour, the five of us sat in the common room silently. None of us said a word, and even the girls' sobbing made no sound. Every two minutes, I would glance at the clock, waiting anxiously for it to stike two o' clock.

After a long hour of waiting, we were standing in front of the tall mahogany doors leading to the Hospital Wing. Everyone looked so nervous and anxious, so I took the liberty of opening the doors for them.

My eyes scanned the room, looking for a certain redhead girl. After checking each of the neat, white hospital beds, I finally found Lily lying in one at the end of the room. I pointed her out to the others and we quickly walked over to where she was. I tried to keep my breathing even as we started to approach her bed.

She was pale. It scared me. Her usually creamy complexion was now colorless and sickly. Even her cheeks, which were usually pink and warm, were now slightly sallow.

Her eyelids were their usual light lavender color, but they looked bolder than usual because of the lack of warmth in her face. Her lips were pink and parted slightly. She was asleep.

Madame Pomfrey approached them, looking somber. "I don't know when she will wake up, but when she does, use caution. She won't remember anything, including you."

I was suddenly alarmed. Everyone snapped their heads up, their eyes wide. "What do you mean she won't remember us?" Remus asked frantically.

"After running a few tests, I have come to the conclusion that she has amnesia. It is only temporary, mind you, but it could anywhere from one to two weeks."

I couldn't believe it. "No, you're joking, that's not possible. Lily wouldn't forget us, she couldn't."

She smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry, Mr. Black."

She turned her back and walked into her office at the other side of the room, leaving us alone with Lily, who was still asleep.

"No, no, she's lying," I repeated, shaking my head in disbelief.

I heard a slight commotion from next to me. I looked and saw Lily awake, staring at us with curious eyes. "Who are you?"

I broke. "No, this can't be happening. Lily, you remember me, right? Please say yes."

"Lily? Is that me?" she asked, pointing to herself. "Who are you?" she asked again.

I couldn't take it anymore. I ran out of the hospital wing as fast as my legs could take me. I sprinted into Gryffindor Tower and up the boys' dorm.

Remus P.O.V.

Sirius sprinted out of the hospital wing when Lily couldn't remember him. He looked heartbroken and shattered, as if the person he loved the most had just died. As if his other half had just died.

His Lily, his sister, forgot him. And just after the wedding, too. I can only imagine his pain.

"Lily, you remember us, don't you?" Thalia asked gently, trying to keep the tears in. "Right?"

Lily only shook her head, looking frightened. We were strangers.

"L-Lily! Please remember!" Alice sobbed. "Please!"

Thalia and Alice broke down crying and they huddled next to the bed, hugging each other close. I had to make sure Lily was telling the truth.

"What is your name?" I asked in a hard tone. I was going to make sure she knew.

"L-Lily? Is that it?" she asked, looking desperate. I could tell she wanted to remember, but she just couldn't.

"Yes, your name is Lily," I sighed. It was no use. She couldn't remember anyone, anything.

I glanced at James, who had remained silent during the whole thing. He was emotionless, but as I looked into his eyes, I could see the sadness, the love, the hope. He wanted her back, he wanted his Lily back.

For now, we could only help her remember.

* * *

**I wanted to dedicate this chapter to my friend Ally. Thanks for always being there for me and happy belated birthday! (I greeted her on her actual birthday, but I also wanted to dedicate a chapter to her. Unfortunately, I ended up posting this a few days late)**

**Also, I might have made up a few Quidditch rules for this chapter. If I am wrong, just ignore it, but some parts of this chapter might not have made sense if I didn't make things up.**

**I apologize for the semi-long wait for this chapter. Can we make it to 40 reviews this time?**

**Jay**


	13. Somber Introductions

Chapter 13 - Sirius P.O.V.

I can't believe she doesn't remember me. I'm Sirius, her brother. Her brother.

Why did this have to happen to her? And so soon after the wedding, too. Mum, Drew, Lily and I just became a family, and now she can't remember any of us. She can't remember her friends either.

Thalia and Alice are heartbroken. They have been Lily's best friends and dormmates since first year, and now, four years later, they're strangers to her. Remus and Frank have been trying to help them get through it, but it's not working.

Remus is depressed. Lily is as much of a sister to him as she is to me. He told me that I after I left the hospital wing, he was the one who was desperately trying to get Lily to remember them. Thalia and Alice were too broken to say anything.

James is something else. Remus told me that he was emotionless during the entire thing, but there was something about him. I know he's trying to figure out his feelings for Lily, and her amnesia isn't making anything easier.

For now, all we can do is help each other, and Lily, through this.

I woke up this morning, anxious for what was about to come. Madame Promfrey said we could take Lily to class today, to see if she could still attend school until her amnesia was cured. She said it was possible that she could remember academic things but not personal, social things.

James, Remus and I quickly dressed for the day, all of us looking somber. We met up with the girls downstairs in the common room. Lily was sitting on one of the couches by the fireplace, looking around the room, seeming confused. Thalia sat next to her and she sighed dejectedly. Alice sat across from the two of them, looking on the verge of tears.

I tried to put on a happy front. "Morning, ladies! Thalia, Alice.. Lily," I gave her a warm smile.

Alice and Thalia mumbled their greetings and gave me a few small smiles in return. Lily perked up and smiled brightly.

"Good morning.. I'm sorry, I don't exactly know who you are." My heart broke.

"I'm Sirius." Everyone else knew how hard it was for me to introduce myself to my sister, after knowing each other for about five years.

She gave me a warm smile, a genuine smile, and nodded cheerfully. "Nice to meet you, I'm Lily, as I can see you already know."

Remus stepped forward with a forced smile upon his face. Everyone else acknowledged it, but Lily saw through it. "I'm Remus Lupin. We're both Gryffindor Prefects together."

Lily's face brightened with excitement and understanding. "Oh that's great, so I guess we're working together!"

Remus plastered a fake smile on his face and nodded. "Yep, actually, we have patrols together tonight, so I'll find you later when we need to leave."

Lily grinned widely and nodded, excited at the newfound responsiblity. James stepped forward, looking as if he had barely slept that night. "Hello, I'm James Potter. We're on the Gryffindor Quidditch team together, I'm the captain and one of the Chasers, like you."

"That's cool, so you're in my year, right?" Lily asked and James nodded. "Impressive, being captain while only in your fifth year."

James smiled at the compliment, but it didn't reach his eyes. I could tell he was thinking of this summer when Lily said those very words when James received his letter telling him he was Quidditch captain. But everything was so different back then.

Lily turned to the girls. "Thalia, what time should we head down for breakfast?"

I assumed the girls had introduced themselves before we arrived in the common room, and this confirmed it. Thalia's face fell when Lily addressed her with her actual first name "Thalia." Lily usually called her "Lia." But Lily didn't know that.

Thalia glanced at the watch on her wrist and made a face. It looked as if she was contemplating whether or not it was the right time to go down. "I guess we could head down about now."

Lily accepted the answer and jumped up happily. "Great, let's go."

The rest of us got up considerably slower. Alice and Thalia jogged to catch up with her and led her out of the portrait hole. I held Remus and James back after telling Alice that we would be right down.

I sighed. "I don't know how we're going to do this," I admitted.

Remus slumped his shoulders in defeat. "For now, we can only do our best to help her get through the lessons. When this is all over, she will be happy and she will remember us again. We just have to wait until then."

James looked heartbroken. "Sh-she doesn't re-remember us."

I gave him a sad smile before turning towards Remus. He got the silent message and walked out of the common room. I turned back to James.

"Mate, I know how hard this is for you, considering you have a bloody crush on my sister," I said with a slight chuckle. "But we have to do what we can to help her right now. Sure, she won't remember any of it in the end, but at least it will prove that you really do like her."

James nodded. I could see in his eyes that he was still sad, but there was something that wasn't there before. Hope.

I gave him another smile and a pat on the back before starting towards the portrait hole. A moment later I heard his footsteps behind me.

After a few minutes, all of us were seated in the Great Hall with plates of food before us. Lily was sitting in between Thalia and Alice. I sat between James and Remus across from the girls.

"Lily, do you know your class schedule?" I asked casually. I wanted to make her as comfortable with me as possible.

She looked at me and smiled slightly. "Alice said I had the same schedule as her and Thalia."

I almost sprinted out of the Great Hall. She was looking at me and she didn't feel comfortable. I could tell by looking on her face that she had unanswered questions for me.

"Um, Sirius?" she asked in a polite voice. "I don't remember you mentioning your last name."

Ah, the dreaded question. I gulped before I answered. "It's Evans."

Her eyes widened and she suddenly looked.. afraid? "Evans? We're siblings?"

James could tell that I was very close to jumping out of my seat and running out onto the Hogwarts grounds, so he gripped my arm tightly.

I swallowed again. "Not blood related, though. We're step-siblings."

She still looked lost so I elaborated. "My mum married your dad. I was originally Sirius Black. My mum and I changed our surnames to 'Evans' because we wanted to separate ourselves from my father and my brother, Regulus."

She gulped as well and nodded. "Ah, alright."

Things were incredibly awkward from that moment on.

* * *

**I want to dedicate this chapter to my friend Anna, who somewhat resembles Lily when it comes to romance. You know what I mean.**

**On Monday, I am going to be leaving for England and France. I am going with a program so I am not bringing my laptop. I will be gone for two weeks, so I won't be updating any of my stories during that time.**

**Sorry, I also planned on making this chapter longer and include some parts of their classes but I am a procrastinator and it is finally getting to me. I have to pack and I don't have time to write a lot. I just tried to update all of my stories before I left so you guys wouldn't be left without an update for over a month.**

**Jay**


	14. Guitar Playing and Good News

Chapter 14 – Sirius P.O.V.

After our awkward discussion during breakfast, I knew classes with Lily would be.. well just that. Awkward.

True, Lily did have the same schedule as Thalia and Alice, but so did Remus, James and I. We were all taking advanced classes for O..

All of our professors knew about Lily's temporary condition, so we didn't have to worry about them pestering us. Most of the school knew about it as well.

First today, we had double Potions. Thalia and Alice escorted Lily, while I pulled back Remus and James so I could talk to them.

"I can't believe it," I said flatly. They looked at me with curious eyes. "She freaked out when I told her we were siblings."

"Come on, mate," Remus said, placing a hand on my shoulder. "Things will work out. She will regain her memory and everything will be fine. We just have to hold on until then."

I smiled and shared a knowing look with James. Those were practically my exact words when I was speaking to him earlier.

"Yeah, you're right," I sighed, patting him on the back and giving him a small smile. All of us started making our way towards the dungeons for Potions.

Crap, I forgot.

We were going to _Potions_. The class where Lily is Slughorn's favorite student. And when I mean favorite, I mean _favorite_. Like he would probably give her a million galleons if he had them. I can only imagine how today's class is going to go.

When we entered the room, I spotted Thalia and Lily sitting at a table in the middle of the room, and Alice and Frank sitting at a table directly behind them. Although Lily could barely remember anything, she still looked comfortable and in her element like usual. That was a good sign, right?

James, Remus and I sat at a table next to Thalia and Lily. We managed to squeeze an extra chair at the table, which is really supposed to only seat two. We didn't care; Slughorn didn't mind either. 

As I looked around the room, I could see that everyone else who was taking this class was already here and seated. Slughorn was at the front of the room, looking through one of his ingredients cupboards. He hadn't even noticed that we had already entered.

I cleared my throat and he spun around and looked around the room with wide, surprised eyes. He gasped.

"Oh dear, forgive me, I didn't know everyone was already here. Morning!" he exclaimed. He glanced around once more and finally noticed Lily. "Ah, Lovely Lily! It's nice to see you this morning. How are you, my dear?"

Lily tilted her head to the side and furrowed her eyebrows, looking completely confused. She didn't know who Slughorn was.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot," he said, looking slightly put out. "I'm Professor Slughorn, the Potions teacher."

"Well, it's lovely to meet you, Professor," she said politely, flashing him a charming smile which made all of the boys in the class stare at her hungrily. James and I glared at every single one of them and they all diverted their gaze.

Slughorn grinned and chuckled jovially, which caused his round belly to shake unattractively. Heh, who am I kidding? Slughorn could never be attractive.

"Lovely Lily," he chuckled before walking back up to the front of the room.

"Today, class, we will be having a brief lesson on Amortentia. Can anyone tell me what Amortentia is?" Slughorn glanced around the room, looking sad. I guess it was because his star student was suffering from amnesia and she couldn't participate in class and no one else really wants to.

But I guess that's not true.

Lily's eyes brightened as she raised her hand high and she smiled proudly. Slughorn's eyes widened and his mouth made an 'O' shape as he pointed to her.

"Yes, Lily?" he said, cautiously. He was obviously just as lost as I am.

"Professor, Amortentia is the most powerful love potion in the world. It doesn't create real love, per se, but a powerful obsession or infatuation," Lily said smoothly, almost as if she were reading it straight from the textbook. It was the tone she always used whenever she answered a question during class.

Everyone in the room, including Slughorn, openly gaped at her. Everyone was aware of Lily's amnesia, and no one expected Lily to remember that. Wait a minute..

Is it possible that Lily only forgot people and things that had to do with her social life, but not academic things?

"Erm, yes, w-wonderful, Lily," Slughorn stammered, looking both flustered and overjoyed.

I could feel a wide smile slipping onto my face. I glanced at Remus and James and they both looked happier than they have been since the accident. Thalia, Alice and Frank were grinning from ear to ear and looking at Lily with proud expressions on their faces. Although she couldn't remember us clearly, this was a very good sign.

"Go Lily!" Alice and Thalia cheered in unison. They stood up and started applauding wildly, both of them looking ecstatic and overjoyed. James and Remus joined in after a moment, James looking as if he could actually burst into tears. I hope he doesn't.. that would be weird.

The rest of the class, minus the Slytherins, applauded loudly and cheered. The Slytherins just dismissed this and looked as if they could care less. The only Slytheirn who actually looked happy, or at least it seemed like it, was Snape. Eugh. Nasty git.

Lily just gazed around the room, looking as confused as ever. A couple people chuckled at her reaction. The situation was a bit funny, but I just wish I could tell Lily why everyone was so happy all of a sudden. But she wouldn't understand, and knowing her, she might get mad and accuse us of trying to lie or trick her.

The rest of the day's classes went somewhat like this. Lily would answer every question perfectly and the rest of the students in the class would cheer and praise her. Even the teachers would join in, as was the case of Professor Flitwick. The little man with a moustache was jumping up and down on top of his stack of books, clapping his hands together. Once, he actually toppled over and the pile of books fell on top of him. Some students had to help him up and fix the books so he could stand on them again.

By the end of the day, while we relaxed in the common room, Lily was completely lost and she could often be found questioning Thalia or Alice about today's events.

"Thaliaaaaa! Come on! I don't get it! Please!" Lily whined, folding her hands and giving Thalia a puppy dog look.

I mouthed to Thalia 'Don't buy it'. I have been the victim of that look for years now, and it always ended in Lily getting what she wants. Don't worry, she never used that look if she wanted something bad, but we always seemed to let our guard down whenever she pulled that face.

Thalia giggled and shook her head. Lily pouted and then turned to Alice, who was standing next to Thalia. Alice looked horrified to find Lily pouting and pleading with her.

"Aliccceee! Pleeaassee!"

James, Remus and I shook our heads fondly at the girls and went to sit on the couches by the fireplace. I stared at the fire, trying to focus on only the orange flames. It didn't work. I could hear the girls' voices in the background. Oh well.

James' voice brought me back to reality. "Uh, Sirius? Isn't that your owl tapping at the window?"

True enough, there, sitting on the window sill, was a medium sized white barn owl. Snow, the owl Lily and I shared, was pecking away at the window, staring intently at me.

I jumped up and opened the window for him. He flew in, landed on my outstretched arm and hooted. I smiled as I untied the letter from his leg and he soared out of the still open window.

I started walking back to where James and Remus were still sitting. They stood up and met me halfway.

"Mate, do you have any idea what that could be? No one sends mail directly to the common room," Remus said, looking slightly worried.

"Not a clue," I responded, turning the envelope over in my hands. I decided to go ahead and just read it. We could wait around forever to find out what was inside it.

The letter was written in neat, loopy cursive.

_Mr. Black,_

_Please report to the hospital wing along with Ms. Jones, Ms. Prynn, Mr. Lupin, and Mr. Potter. I would like to have a word with the five of you. Please do not bring Ms. Evans along with you. Madame Pomfrey and I will be there when you arrive._

_Professor Dumbledore_

I showed the letter to James and Remus and they suddenly looked concerned. "What do you think they want to discuss with us?" James asked.

"I have no idea, Prongs, but we have to find a way to get to the hospital wing without Lily following us," I responded.

"That's going to be impossible, she doesn't know anyone besides us. Sure, she's a nice, outgoing person, but she'll still feel frightened if we left her with anyone else," Remus said.

I contemplated this for a moment. "That's true," I said thoughtfully. My eyes popped open as I suddenly got an idea. "I think I know how to keep her busy."

James and Remus looked at me with weird expressions on their faces. I couldn't help but smirk at them, which only caused them to look even more skeptical.

My trustworthy friends, ladies and gentlemen.

* * *

I can't believe they thought I was up to something bad. I mean this was _Lily_ we were talking about. I wasn't about to do anything that could hurt her in any way.

I was simple going to get her to fall asleep.

Is that really that bad?

After all, it was starting to get late, and we have had a busy day. Knowing Lily, she was probably going to head up to bed anyway. I was just going to make it easier for her.

Lily was just like some of Hagrid's pet dogs. If you played music, she would fall right asleep, you know, if it was at night and she was the least bit tired. The only thing is, she knew that and made sure I couldn't bring a radio. She did the same thing to Thalia, Alice, Remus and James. The only way we could get music was to actually play it.

Hmm.. who would be willing?

That's hard. Out of us, Lily herself was the most musically talented. She could play the piano, acoustic and electric guitar, bass, and drums. She could also sing. And pretty damn well at that.

Thalia could sing.. kinda.. and play drums.. I don't think drums would exactly soothe her to sleep.

Alice could play the flute.. but she didn't bring her flute to Hogwarts and no one else we know can play the flute.

Remus.. drums and electric guitar. Neither of those are here with us.

Me.. Ha. I couldn't play music for my life.

.. James!

James can sing and play acoustic and electric guitar, and he brought his acoustic with him to Hogwarts! Yess!

Okay, the plan: Thalia and Alice bring Lily up to their dorm. They sit her down in bed and make sure she is ready to sleep, you know, pajamas and everything. They leave their door cracked a little bit, so that they could hear someone if they were outside but they wouldn't be able to see them. Have Remus freeze the staircase so it wouldn't turn into a slide when James walked up. James plays the guitar until Lily falls asleep and when she's under, the five of us go to the hospital wing.

I turned to James beside me. "Prongs, could you do me a favor?" I asked, trying to smile innocently. He looked suspicious.

"What do you want?" he asked slowly.

"Just grab your guitar and come back here," I responded, pushing him in the direction of the stairs.

He did as he was told and ran up to our dorm, and then jogged back down holding his guitar in his hands. He still looked confused.

"Why did I need to bring my guitar down here?"

I gave him a look that plainly told him to wait. I glanced over at Thalia and Alice to see them doing their homework with Lily on the other side of the common room. Perfect time to tell them.

"Remus, I need a piece of parchment and a quill."

I started writing a letter to Alice and Thalia.

_Ruffles and Snow,_

_Dumbledore just sent me a letter that said that we need to meet him in the hospital wing to talk. Here's the thing – Lily can't come. I have a plan.._

I explained the plan with detail.

_..when Lily's asleep then we'll make our way down to the hospital wing._

_Plan starts now._

_Padfoot_

**(AN: I used Thalia and Alice's nicknames which I explained in Ch. 10 which is the one where the wedding takes place, I suggest you look back if you're confused.)**

I showed the letter to Remus and James before pulling my wand out of my back pocket. I levitated the letter over to where Thalia and Alice were. Luckily, they were sitting right next to each other, and Lily was too concentrated on her work to notice a piece of paper hovering towards them. She's so observant, isn't she?

Thalia noticed it first and she grabbed it before anyone else could see. After quickly glancing at it, she saw that it was addressed to both herself and Alice. The two read it silently while Lily continued doing her work, not noticing anything.

Alice and Thalia exchanged glances before quickly nodding at us. They started to gather their things together which finally caused Lily to look up at them.

"Hey, Lily, do you mind if you head upstairs with us? We're starting to get tired. After all, we've had a busy day today," Alice asked sweetly, putting an innocent smile on her face.

Lily agreed, not suspecting a thing. The three of them collected all of their belongings before walking up to their dorm, talking casually.

Once they were safely in their dorm, I gestured to Remus and James to follow me. James snatched his guitar from off the ground and obliged. We crept to the bottom of the girls' staircase.

"Okay, Remus, you need to freeze the staircase so James can go up without it turning into a slide."

Remus nodded and waved his wand, muttering a few words. The staircase glowed for a second before turning back to normal. I grinned in satisfaction.

I mumbled a few words under my breath and flicked my wand. I craned my head so I could hear the girls' conversation more clearly. I had used a spell to make it slightly easier to hear, but it still wasn't very clear.

"..so Lily? How was your day today?" Thalia asked politely. I could hear the opening and closing of drawers and soft thuds. I figured they were getting ready for bed.

"It was great, classes were wonderful," Lily replied. I could hear the smile in her voice. It made me smile as well. Even if Lily couldn't exactly remember who she was and who everyone else was, at least she still acted like her normal self.

"I'm glad to hear that."

I could hear the rustling of sheets and the creaking of the mattresses. I could also hear the flipping of pages and the scratching of a quill writing on a piece of parchment. It was time for James to play.

I waved him up the stairs. He nodded and tiptoed up, stopping just outside their door. He started strumming something that sounded like a lullaby.

Man, even I was starting to get sleep listening to that.

After a few minutes, the page turning and the quill scratching stopped. Thalia and Alice appeared in the doorway, both dressed in sweatpants and a t-shirt. Alice was holding a gray hoodie that she threw on as she and Thalia silently walked down the narrow staircase behind James, who finished playing when he saw the girls.

I grinned proudly when I saw them. "Success!"

Thalia and Alice giggled while Remus and James just shook their heads fondly. I started walking towards the portrait hole with the letter from Dumbledore enclosed in my hand. I could hear the soft thuds of their footsteps behind me.

After a few minutes of walking, we reach the hospital wing. I pushed open the doors and everyone filed in after me. True to his word, there Dumbledore was with Madame Pomfrey.

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled in that way that was just purely Dumbledore when he saw us. He saw that Lily wasn't with us, just as he asked, and he looked impressed.

"It's nice to see the five of you, and I must say, it is impressive that you managed to come here without Ms. Evans," he said, speaking to all of us but looking mostly at me.

"It was pretty hard, with the current circumstances, but we made it," I said with a reassuring smile. I didn't need the headmaster thinking I did something bad to my sister.

"Now, what was it that you needed to discuss with us, Professor?" Alice asked politely.

Dumbledore clapped his hands together. "Well, we have more information about Lily's condition."

The five of us looked at each other with wide eyes before turning our attention back to Dumbledore. We probably looked like five little puppies waiting for their owner to give them a bone. Dumbledore saw this little exchange and chuckled.

"I'll let Madame Pomfrey explain," he said, stepping back and gesturing for Madame Pomfrey to begin speaking.

She took a deep breath before speaking. "Well, first, Ms. Evans' amnesia will only last for a few more da-"

"WHOOOOO!"

"Mr. Evans! Calm yourself!"

"..sorry.."

"As I was saying, her amnesia will only last a few more days," she shot a pointed look at me and I put my hands up in mock surrender. "And she will also remember certain events. She will most likely remember how she got amnesia, but she may also remember certain events that happened during this period. Keep in mind, she will not remember everything, but she may recall minor or major events that you didn't think she would remember."

3...

2...

1..

"WHOOOO!"

"Mr. Evans!" someone yelled shrilly and by instinct, I looked at Madame Pomfrey only to see that she was trying to contain her laughter while looking at someone else. I glanced around the room to see who had said that. And then my eyes landed on James, who everyone else was laughing at.

"Prongs!" I whined. "Why?"

He shrugged. "I dunno, felt like doing that, I guess."

I rolled my eyes while everyone else just laughed. I couldn't help but laugh along side them.

I guess things would be easier and lighter from now on.

* * *

**Hey! I just got back from my amazing trip a little less than a week ago and ever since, I have been obsessed with writing. I'm surprised, with so many stories to work on, I actually finished this in less than a week. And with visiting friends and family and unpacking and getting used to the time change, I have been _really _busy. So I hope you like this chapter and please leave a review for me, 'kay?**


	15. She's Back!

Chapter 15 – Lily P.O.V.

_Thump_

I woke up to the sound of something falling onto the wooden floor of our dorm. I glanced around me and saw that it was just one of my books. I guess I accidentally flipped it off my side table when I was tossing in my sleep.

I had a strange dream.

_Sleep.. guitar.._

_Potions.. questions.._

_Quidditch.. Bludger.. head.._

_Sirius.. brother..._

I remember. I remember!

It wasn't a dream.

I had amnesia! I can't believe I had amnesia! I was completely lost for the past week.

Although I didn't like the thought of having had amnesia, I was glad I was back. I had to tell them!

"Thalia! Wake up!" she only rolled over. "Lia, wake up!"

Thalia shot straight up and looked right at me. She smiled wide with hopeful eyes. "Lily? You remember?"

I nodded happily. She squealed and jumped out of bed and raced towards me. She enveloped me in a tight hug, still squealing.

"I can't believe it! You're back! You're back!"

Her reaction caused me to erupt into a fit of laughter, and soon she joined in as well. The loud noise caused Alice to wake up to an odd scene.

"Guys, what's going on?" she asked groggily, trying to wipe the sleep from her eyes.

I grinned. "Well, _Snow_, I-" she cut me off.

"Wait, hold on, did you just call me Snow?" she asked in disbelief. I grinned even wider and nodded.

"Yep," I replied smugly and she shrieked and ran full speed right at me and Thalia. She caught us in a tight hug, squealing just as Thalia had a few moments ago.

We spent the next few minutes giggling and hugging and being complete girls. I usually leave the really girly stuff to Thalia and Alice, but oh well. It wasn't everyday that I got my memory back after having amnesia for a week, now was it?

We were sitting on my bed, laughing and talking when I suddenly remembered. The guys didn't know I had gotten my memory back.

Without saying anything to Thalia or Alice, I bounded out of the room and to the boys' dorm. Instead of knocking, which might have been the better thing to do, I threw their door open and jumped on one of their beds. I didn't even check to see who it was.

"Oof!" I looked down to see who I had just jumped on. It was Remus.

"Moony! Moony, wake up! Get up, Rem!" I moved aside on the bed so I was just sitting next to him, rather than on top of him.

Just like Thalia, he sat right up at the sound of his nickname. "Lily?" he asked incredulously. "Wait, what did you just call me?"

I grinned widely. "Morning, Moony!" I greeted cheerfully.

His eyes widened and he smiled. "Lily! You're back!" he reached over and grabbed me, pulling me into a bone-crushing hug. I laughed and wrapped my arms around him.

He let go of me for a brief moment so he could get out of bed. Once his feet were firmly planted on the floor, he lifted me off the bed and started spinning me in circles. I couldn't help but laugh out loud at his reaction.

"Wazgoin on?" We heard a muffled voice from across the room.

We both turned to see James rubbing his eyes sleepily. He looked at us with confused eyes, but there was something else that I couldn't place. Some other emotion that I could see in his hazel eyes. I couldn't figure out what it was.

"Lily? Remus? What are you doing?" he asked in a small voice, which confused me even more.

Remus looked at me and gave me a smile. I could see the happiness and mischievous glint in his eyes. I got it. He wanted me to do something to surprise him.

I smiled knowingly at James. "Well, _Prongs, Moony _and I were just talk-"

He cut me off, like Alice had done just a while before. "Wait, what did you call me? And Remus, too?" he asked, stepping out of bed.

"Prongs," I said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "And I called Remus Moony."

James' eyes widened and he looked at me in shock. "So, if you called Remus _Moony _and-"

This time I cut him off. "Yes, James, I have my memory back," I said with mock irritation. "Was it really that hard to figure out?" I smirked.

"Lils!" he yelled, picking me up and spinning me around. "You're back!"

"Yes, I'm back!" I repeated, trying to swat his hands away. "Now put me down, I've been spun around enough this morning."

"Must you be so loud?" Sirius whined from his bed. "I'm trying to get my beauty sleep!"

Lily snorted, causing James and Remus to chuckle. "Your beauty sleep, Siri?"

"Yes, act-," he paused, finally realizing who he was talking to. "Lily? What are you doing up here?"

I grinned, turning to Remus and James, gesturing for one of them to tell Sirius what happened. Remus turned to James, who sighed in mock defeat, causing me to giggle at his reaction.

"Well, Padfoot, Lily has regained her memory," James said indifferently, almost as if it didn't matter. Remus and I had to practically shove our fists into our mouths to stifle our laughter.

"Oh o- WHAAAT!" This time, we couldn't help but burst into laughter.

I stepped forward, my arms open, inviting him in for a hug. "Yep, it's true, Siri, now just hug me and spin me around to get it over with. That's what these two have been doing, so you might as well."

He barked out a laugh as he raced toward me, catching me in a hug tighter than Remus', which I didn't think was possible. As I had instructed, he spun me around before settling me on my feet.

They gave me a moment to regain my balance. I put a hand to my head and and closed my eyes. "Whoa, a little dizzy here." James, Sirius and Remus chuckled at me. Normally, I would've scowled or glared at them, but I was too happy to do either. Instead I just smiled.

Suddenly, James' smile turned into a thoughtful expression. I cocked my head slightly to side. "James, what's wrong?"

"How do we know for sure if you've completely regained your memory?" he said, looking at me skeptically.

I shrugged casually. "I don't know, ask me anything."

He put a hand to his chin and pursed his lips. It was the typical look of concentration, but something about the way he did it made me want to laugh.

"Okay, I got it," he said, breaking that stance. "What's one thing you know Sirius can't live without?"

James and I ignored the incredulous look on said brother's face. I put one of my hands to my chin and pursed my lips, mimicking James' previous stance.

"Oh!" I said, suddenly remembering. "Sirius can't go to sleep unless he has his plush dog toy. He named it Snuffles and he's had it since he was six."

Sirius gaped at me.

3...

2...

1..

"HAHAHA!" James and Remus were on the floor, laughing while rolling around like maniacs.

"Lily!" Sirius gasped. "How could you?" His cheeks were a bright shade of red and his eyes were the size of golf balls.

I grinned. I knew he was only pretending to be mad, but he actually was embarrassed.

I shrugged, "How else were they supposed to know I really remember everything?"

It took James and Remus a while to recover from their insane laughing fit. "Wait, how did we not know about this? We have been rooming with Sirius for the past five years," Remus panted, looking red in the face.

"Sirius always closes the drapes around his bed, right?" I asked. Both of them nodded. "Well, there you go."

They laughed again, but this time, it wasn't as extreme. Only moments after they finished laughing, Thalia and Alice burst into the room, both of them looking worried and disheveled.

"Lils! There you are!" they exclaimed in unison, causing me to raise an eyebrow at them. "We've been looking everywhere for you!"

"And it took you that long to check up here?"

"Um, yeah?" they admitted sheepishly.

"Wait, we've been meaning to check," Alice said.

"How do we know for sure if you've completely regained your memory?" Thalia finished.

James, Remus and I smirked. Those were the exact words James spoke just a few minutes earlier.

"Ask me anything you want," I said casually.

Alice and Thalia both struck a familiar pose that made me want to laugh out loud. It was the 'typical look of concentration'. After a minute, Thalia asked the question.

"What's one thing you know Sirius can't live without?"

This time, I did burst out laughing, and so did James and Remus. Were they doing this on purpose?

Thalia and Alice looked confused so I figured they weren't purposely asking the same question. I sucked in a deep breath, trying to calm myself down, and answered calmly.

"Sirius can't go to sleep without his plush dog Snuffles which he has had since he was six."

3...

2...

1..

"HAHAAA!"

Déjà vu**.**

"Really, Lily? _Again? _Are you trying to give away all of my life's secrets?"

"Sorry, Sirius, it was necessary."

"..Hmph, necessary my arse."

* * *

The rest of the day was relatively normal, if you exclude the stares and whispers that followed us everywhere.

Everyone was surprised to see me greeting people like I would on any normal day. I was told after a while that I couldn't remember anyone, but I could remember academic things. It seemed odd but what they said after made me just shake it off with a smile.

"Only you Lils. Of course, you just _had _to have amnesia and forget us, but remember the every detail of the Second Goblin War."

When I would look at them during class and at random moments during the day, I would always see Thalia, Alice, James, Remus and Sirius smiling. Even at lunch, while they were eating, they would be smiling. It was nice, but sometimes it was just plain weird.

When we returned to the common room later after class, the six of us just collapsed on the couches, all of us simultaneously letting out a huge sigh. For some reason, classes were unusually exhausting today compared to any other day.

I groaned out loud when I remembered that James, Thalia, Sirius and I had Quidditch practice in about an hour. When the others questioned what I was thinking, I voiced this thought, which received similar groans from said people.

The four of us left Alice and Remus to get changed and ready for practice.

Thalia changed into black track bottoms and a black long-sleeved t-shirt underneath her scarlet colored Gryffindor Quidditch jersey. It had her number, 12, on the front, and her last name on the back with the word 'Chaser' underneath that. She had her Quidditch robes over her arm. She was going to put those on when we got down to the pitch. She had braided her hair and left a few tendrils loose in the front.

I changed into black sweatpants and like Thalia, a black long-sleeved shirt with my Gryffindor Quidditch jersey over it. It had my number, 17, on the front with 'Evans, Chaser' in the same fashion as Thalia and every other member on the team. I had put my hair up into a ponytail, leaving my side fringe as it was. I held my Quidditch robes as we exited our dorm. Like Lia, I was going to throw on my robes when we made it down to the pitch.

We were both holding our brooms over our shoulders as we walked down the stairs and into the common room.

We saw Alice and Remus sitting on the couches where we left them, just talking. We found James and Sirius waiting for us by the portrait hole, dressed similarly to us.

We walked down to the pitch, talking and laughing all the way. We talked about random things that we would probably forget about later, but it didn't matter, we were enjoying the fact that we were all together again. As cheesy as that sounds, it was true.

Practice was gruesome, again. James seemed to push the Chasers and Beaters harder than the others. I mean this time, he actually made us run laps. Around the pitch. Around the bloody _huge _Quidditch pitch. The sport is Quidditch; we _fly _on _brooms_. Why the hell did he make us run laps?

It wasn't that bad, I'm a pretty fast runner and I always go running and jogging, but still?

He made the Chasers do something that seemed like it would be part of a Muggle football practice, not a wizard Quidditch practice. He made the three of us run in a sort of zig-zag/weave motion as we played catch with the Quaffle. He said it was to work on our hand-eye coordination, but I just found it silly. We could do the exact same thing up in the air on our brooms.

After that, he did something with the Beaters that could be considered weirder than what he made us Chasers do. He made Adrian and Sirius hit the Bludger between the two of them. It looked like a giant game of ping pong. Again, he made them stay on the ground.

For the Seeker, he just made Trent fly around, yes, on his _broom_, while someone would throw ping pong balls in random directions. Trent would have to catch as many as he could.

And for Gideon, our Keeper, us three Chasers would take turns trying to score. But unfortunately, neither me or Thalia was never at doing that for too long. After about five minutes, we would go back to the weave thing.

After who knows how long,we all padded back up to Gryffindor tower. After a quick shower and a few mumbled good nights, I fell into an easy sleep, a smile on my face.

* * *

**Just a note, I have never met a person who has ever had amnesia and I am completely clueless about it, so I just wrote these chapters based on how I think it would have gone, not how it scientifically would have occurred.**

**Aren't you happy? She got her memory back! She remembers!**

**Review please :)**


	16. An Overprotective Big Brother

Chapter 17 – Sirius P.O.V.

Time really has flown by this year. It seems like just yesterday Lily recovered from her amnesia, when in reality, it has been a few months. Tomorrow, the six of us are leaving for Easter break. We're all going to our new house that mum and Drew just recently bought. It will be the first time any of us have stepped foot in it.

Alice, Thalia, James and Remus finished packing last night, but Lily and I need to gather up a few things after lunch. We all had a free period then.

Today, we didn't have too many classes to attend. After breakfast, we have Transfiguration, Potions, Charms and then lunch. Right after lunch we have a free period before our only afternoon class, DADA. After that, we were free to do whatever we wanted.

I yawned as I finished changing in the bathroom. Surprisingly, I was the first one awake this morning so I took the opportunity to take a shower and take my time in the bathroom.

When I walked out of the bathroom, I saw that everyone else was just waking up. Remus was sitting in bed, rubbing his eyes. James was sitting on the edge of his bed, feeling around on his bedside table for his glasses.

I grinned. "Good morning!" I bellowed, causing James and Remus to jump in surprise and glare at me.

"It's too early cheerfulness, even for you," James muttered, scowling at me.

"Too early? It's seven o' clock!" I said.

"EXACTLY!" Remus and James yelled in unison, both of them throwing nasty looks in my direction.

I laughed as they both simultaneously fell back on their beds and covered their faces with their pillows. Sometimes those two were as synchronized as Thalia and Alice, and that's saying something. Those two girls could be pretty damn creepy when it came to saying and doing things at the same time.

"C'mon, you two, if I'm awake and ready that means you have to do the same," I sang, which resulted in me getting hit in the face by a pillow.

"WHO THREW THAT?" I yelled indignantly. Another flew out and hit me.

"AND THAT!"

Another pillow.

"WHERE ARE YOU GETTING ALL OF THESE DAMN PILLOWS FROM?"

Another pillow.

* * *

It took me another hour, and about ten more pillows to the face, for me to get those two out of bed and down to the Great Hall for breakfast. When we got there, the girls were already there waiting for us.

"What took you guys so long?" Lily asked, taking in Remus and James' disheveled appearances and grumpy facial expressions.

"These two dunderheads didn't want to get out of bed," I explained. "And they kept throwing pillows at me."

3...

2...

1..

"HAHAHAA!"

The girls burst out laughing. I'm a bit disappointed with them. They're so predictable; I can always tell _exactly _when they're going to start laughing. I think they may be losing their touch.. so unfortunate..

"I'm glad to see that my spell has gone to good use, boys, nice job," Lily congratulated, grinning widely at James and Remus. They smiled back.

"Woah, wait. Spell? Your spell?" I asked. Lily can make her own spells?

Thalia and Alice nodded (again, simultaneously) and grinned proudly at Lily, who was wearing a mischievous smirk on her face.

"Yes, I've been making spells for quite a while now. I have made some of my own hexes, but I specialize in spells that James and Remus have been using in pranks. I'm actually surprised you didn't know, Siri," Lily said.

"I'm surprised I didn't know too, Lils," I muttered, shooting playful glares at James and Remus. They both rubbed the back of their necks and smiled sheepishly.

"What's up with everyone doing things simultaneously today?"

Lily gave me a look that told me she was thinking the same thing as me. I rolled my eyes as I threw an arm around her shoulder and walked to the end of the Gryffindor table, our friends following behind us.

* * *

Classes were fairly uneventful that morning. Sure, we were given _tons _of homework, but that happened everyday, so we were pretty much used to it by now. Pretty sad, huh?

Luckily, it wasn't due until the week after we got back from Easter break, so we didn't have to worry about it until we returned to Hogwarts.

The six of us trudged to the Great Hall, all of us already beginning to feel drained. Even though nothing significant happened so far, we were all tiring pretty quickly. Man, we're starting to get old.

Lily, Thalia and Alice collapsed onto the bench in front of us, all three of them dropping their heads into their arms on the table. Remus, James and I sat across from them, mimicking their actions.

After a few minutes, we all pulled our heads up and actually began eating. Then, we actually started talking and being our normal selves. I guess we just needed food in our system to get us going.

I heard James' jaw clench from next to me and I turned to look at him questioningly. He didn't look at me, but instead to someone approaching the Gryffindor table. I recognized the person as Amos Diggory, a sixth year Hufflepuff who seemed to be interested in Lily. I glared at him.

"James, calm down," I muttered under my breath so no one else would hear. James closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to settle down. He grit his teeth before opening his eyes. I could tell that was the closest he was going to get to calm as of right now.

As Amos got closer, I could see his eyes raking up and down Lily's body. I clench my fists and growled under my breath.

"He better not try anything, or he's going to get it," I snarled, loud enough for both James and Remus to hear.

Remus looked confused for a second, but once he saw Diggory, he quickly tried to calm James and I down.

"Guys, Lily's right there, don't do anything you will regret," he warned.

"Oh, trust me, I won't regret beating him to a pulp," I said, cracking my knuckles under the table. Remus smirked but gave me a look that plainly said 'Cool it'.

I scowled but did nothing as Amos came closer. Lily, Thalia and Alice were still talking among themselves, and they hadn't noticed anything unusual yet. I wonder how long that was going to last.

"Lily!"

Apparently, not long.

The three girls spun around to face Amos while James, Remus and I just glared at him. Yeah, sure, just a moment ago, Remus was trying to get me to calm down, but I could tell he was really just trying to stop himself from getting too protective. He knew that sometimes Lily didn't like it, but he couldn't help it. No one messes around with our Lily.

Lily smiled slightly but I could see right through it. She was only smiling because she wanted to seem polite, not because she was happy that Amos was talking to her. Inwardly, I smirked and beamed proudly at my little sister.

Thalia and Alice just looked at the scene, their faces completely emotionless. They knew as well as I did that Lily was just trying to be polite.

Amos started nervously rubbing the back of his neck, flushing slightly. I snorted, loud enough for everyone to hear, and they all chuckled. Lily obviously heard, but she ignored it. She waited patiently for Amos to say something.

"Hey, um, Lily," Amos said, stuttering and stammering, causing everyone else at the table to laugh quietly. "I was wondering, you know, there's a Hogsmeade weekend after we get back from break, and I was wondering, if you'd wanna, you kn-"

"ARE YOU ASKING OUT MY SISTER?"

The girls, Remus, James and Amos looked alarmed at my sudden outburst. People at other tables in the Great Hall turned and seemed intrigued by the situation. The shock on James and Remus' faces disappeared and they joined me standing up. The three of us glared menacingly at Amos, who was trying to look unfazed.

"Yes," he replied in an arrogant tone. "And what are you going to do about that, _Black_?"

Now he was gonna get it.

I growled. "It's _Evans_, Diggory. But I wouldn't expect you to know that, with you only possessing a grand total of two brain cells."

Lily snorted delicately, but Amos didn't see. Everyone else did though, and they all smirked. Lily bit her lip to prevent her from actually laughing out loud.

"Nah, _Black_, I think you're talking about yourself, seeing as you can barely get yourself out of bed each morning without a hand from one of your sidekicks over there," he sneered, gesturing to Remus and James standing next to me.

"That's it," I snarled. I stood on the bench I was sitting on a few minutes ago, and walked onto the table. I jumped down onto the floor on the opposite side of the table where Amos, Lily, Thalia and Alice were. I stomped over to Amos, who was wearing a cocky grin on his face.

"And what are you doin- Oof!"

I smiled proudly at myself. I literally wiped that arrogant grin off his face with a strong punch to the jaw. His head whipped to the side and stayed there for a moment before turning back to face me with an angry scowl.

Everything was silent for a second. Then, all of the students from all of the houses, even Slytherin, applauded. No one liked Diggory, he was just a cocky prick who was in desperate need of a life.

"You're gonna get it, _Black_," he growled , pulling his wand from out of his robes. I whipped mine out and immediately fell into a defensive stance, ready to block anything he was preparing to throw at me.

Before I knew it, I heard the clanging of silver wear and the heavy thuds of footsteps. Soon enough, Remus and James were standing on either side of me, both of them mirroring my stance. They must have followed my example and walked right across the Gryffindor table to get to me.

"Impedimenta!" Amos shouted.

I easily blocked it and sent another jinx his way. "Densaugeo!"

Diggory was either too slow or too stupid to deflect it and the hex I aimed hit him, causing his teeth to grow at an alarming speed. In a matter of seconds, I could easily say that his front teeth were about six inches long. Again, everyone applauded and laughter could be heard from every direction.

"Furnunculus!" James yelled, hitting Diggory straight in the chest.

He was still trying to recover from the spell I sent at him so he didn't even get a chance to defend himself against James. Huge, ugly boils started appearing on his skin, causing him to shriek in disgust. I couldn't help myself – I just _had _ laugh.

James grinned and nodded proudly at his work and I held my hand up for a high-five. Remus stepped forward, ready to send something at Diggory. It was his turn.

Remus shouted, "Avis Oppugno!" A stream of birds appeared and started attacking Diggory. He didn't stand a chance against the.. pigeons?

Ha, such a wimp.

After a few minutes, the birds just disappeared and Diggory indignantly shuffled out of the Great Hall. The doors slammed behind him and everyone within the Great Hall cheered and applauded.

I grinned at my two best mates before returning to our seats at the Gryffindor table. While Thalia and Alice gushed over what just happened, I turned to look at Lily, who was smiling. She simply nodded her head and mouthed the words, "Thanks, big bro."

That was all the thanks I needed.

* * *

-No one's P.O.V.-

Back at the staff table, Professor McGonagall was fuming. Of course, inwardly, she believed that Amos deserved what he got, but being a Hogwarts Professor and Deputy Headmistress, the actions were 'highly inappropriate and completely unnecessary'.

She was prepared to march down there and break up the fight herself, but Albus Dumbledore, who was sitting next to her, put a light hand on her arm, restraining her.

"Headmaster, you have to do something!" she shrieked, looking shocked.

His eyes twinkled in that strange, cryptic way while he smiled slightly. "You must not intrude, Professor," he stated calmly, taking a sip of his pumpkin juice. "Some things like this must be allowed occasionally."

"What do you mean, they must be allowed?" she yelled. "Down there, Lupin, Potter, Evans and Diggory are in a fight, for heavens sakes! They must be stopped!"

Dumbledore shook his head ever so slightly, that if Professor McGonagall wasn't looking at him, she would not have seen this small action.

"Life throws situations like this at you, and sometimes you have no choice but to deal with them. Things like this can end two ways – either disaster or success. Depending on which way it does end, their relationships could either become stronger or weaker. We just have to watch and let this all play out the way fate thinks they should."

Professor McGongall sighed and slumped slightly in her chair, feeling defeated. She let the words swim around in her head, at first sounding like a bunch of gibberish, but once she finally comprehended it, she smiled at the truth in his words.


	17. Home Sweet Home

Chapter 18 – Lily P.O.V.

I was glad to be leaving for Easter break. Don't get me wrong, I love Hogwarts and all, but I wanted to go to the place which I am now going to be calling home. I was really excited to see the new house that dad and Rose bought, neither Sirius or I has seen it yet.

After what happened in the Great Hall yesterday afternoon, the boys have been on edge. They wore frowns on their faces for the rest of the day and they glared at any boy who so much as _glanced _at me. I wasn't upset as most other girls would have been, I actually found the whole thing to be rather sweet. They were protective of me. And plus, I didn't really fancy any of the other guys at school, so I didn't care that none of them were asking me out or flirting with me.

The six of us were currently on the Hogwarts Express, which would be taking us to King's Cross station where we would be picked up by Rose and dad. The trip seemed to be shorter than usual, or maybe that was just me. After all, we were only minutes away from the station and I just woke up. I have been asleep since we left the station at Hogsmeade. Since I have never really timed how long it took to get from King's Cross to Hogwarts, I wouldn't know exactly how long I slept but I was going to say a good few hours.

Before we knew it, we were exiting the train and walking onto the crowded platform. I led everyone past the crowd of parents and small children. Sirius was carrying my trunk, even though I protested, so I had my hands free. Everyone else was carrying their own luggage because they didn't have a brother as awesome as Sirius to carry their stuff for them. I smiled at the thought.

While we trudged through the massive crowd of excited family members, I couldn't help but feel a sudden wave of happiness come over me. Sirius and I were going to be seeing our parents again and we were moving into our new house. We were going to be a happy family, just what I have been wanting for so long.

I could see my dad's messy brown hair and emerald green eyes which matched my own. He was waving at us from the back of the crowd. I smiled again. This was definitely my dad. Sure, he was excited and eager to see his kids again but he didn't even bother to attempt walking through that huge crowd. I didn't blame him; I would've done the same thing.

"Dad!" I yelled, picking up more speed as I approached.

As soon as he saw me his mouth stretched upward into a grin. Deciding to relive my youthful memories as a child, I jumped up and hugged him around the neck while throwing my legs around his waist. Luckily, he caught me and laughed.

"Lils, you're getting too big to do stuff like that to your old man," he chuckled, trying to pry my arms from his neck.

I released him and gracefully hopped down onto the pavement of the platform. I turned to the beautiful smiling woman standing next to my dad.

"Rose!" I shouted, launching myself at her, but this time, more gently. She laughed and hugged me tightly, placing a tender kiss on my forehead.

"Lily! It's so great to see you again, I've missed you so much!" she cried, her words muffled slightly as she had buried her face in my thick red hair. "How have you been, darling?"

I shrugged. "Same old, same old. Quidditch practice has been horrendous, thanks to Potter back there," I said with a small smile, pointing behind me to where my friends were still trying to get through the thick crowd.

"Oi! I heard that!" James shouted indignantly. I laughed with Rose and Dad at his reaction.

"Just kidding, but you know, school will be school. Nothing has really changed besides the fact that we have stacks of homework up to our necks."

Dad and Rose just rolled their eyes, but I could tell by looking at them that they knew I was serious. We really did have _a lot_ of homework.

"Oh, and you won't believe how weird it is for the professors to switch from calling Sirius 'Mr. Black' to Mr. Evans'."

"Oh, I can imagine," Dad chuckled.

I immediately thought of the incident at lunch yesterday. I wasn't sure if I wanted to tell Rose and dad about that yet, but I was definitely going to tell them at some point. I didn't want to keep them in the dark.

Then at that moment, Sirius and the rest of our friends finally made their appearance. And rather gracefully, if I may say.

Sirius was so excited to catch up with me and talk to Dad and Rose that he tried running through the crowd. He ended up tripping over his and my trunk and falling onto the pavement. The others behind him didn't see him fall so they all tripped over him and fell into a pile at my feet.

I snorted. "Well, hello to you, too."

Sirius looked up at me and smiled sheepishly. Remus did the same, then James, then Thalia, then Alice who was on the very top of the pile. I couldn't help it, I just had to laugh. The way they did this was so comical and fixed that I almost thought they had planned the whole thing.

"Well, son, I see you have become more graceful since we last saw you," dad said, smirking down at Sirius.

Sirius beamed up at dad and jumped out of the pile of our friends to hug him. When he jumped out, everyone fell down again to fill in the space he left behind, resulting in loud groans and a few painful sounding thuds. I winced and looked away. Just the sound of them was terrible.

"Drew!" Sirius yelled, engulfing my dad into a tight bear hug that seemed to be constricting his airways. Rose and I exchanged concerned looks and tried to pry Sirius' arms from my dad.

Dad chuckled. "Now Sirius, remember what I told you before you and Lils left for Hogwarts in January?"

Sirius and I exchanged sheepish grins before hugging our parents.

"Dad!" Sirius cried, hugging my dad.

"Mum!" I yelled, hugging Rose.

They both laughed and hugged us tightly, grinning the entire time. We pulled away and waited for the rest of the group to get up off the floor. I was amazed that they were there for so long.

When they finally did stand up and get themselves collected, they exchanged greetings with our parents. Dad and Ro-_Mum _led the way out of King's Cross and to our car.

This is where it starts to get complicated. See, for a family in England, we actually have a pretty large car. **(AN: I am American, so I know **_**nothing **_**about European cars. I am sticking to something that I am familiar with, so I don't want any comments telling me that this is not possible. I know **_**NOTHING! **_**And I know the Marauders' Era took place in the 1980's, but I am going to use a modern day car**_**) **_We have a Nissan Quest, which is rather big compared to most of the other cars around here. But we have eight people to fit in the car, plus our luggage, and it only seats seven.

Merlin, this is going to be difficult.

Sirius P.O.V.

As soon as we started walking towards our car, I started to get anxious. I don't know how we're going to fit everyone in the car. I know for a fact that we will be able to fit all of our trunks, because Mum can just shrink them or something, but our car only seats seven and we have eight people.

Another thing, Mum placed a charm on our car so no one can perform any other spells on it. She said that if something went wrong with a spell it could damage the car and no one would want that.

The only solution: someone has to sit on someone's lap.

I immediately ruled out dad and mum – dad's driving so mum most definitely cannot sit on his lap. And plus that would just be strange for the rest of us.

Alice wouldn't want to sit on one of us guys' laps. She is totally devoted to her boyfriend Frank, and even though she knows it wouldn't mean anything, she still wouldn't want to. Not that I blame her, I wouldn't exactly feel comfortable having her sit on my lap, and I'm pretty sure James and Remus feel the same.

Thalia wouldn't mind sitting on Remus' lap, but the two of them haven't really done anything besides a bit of innocent flirting. Remus is still a little hesitant and he doesn't want to get too close to her romantically, just in case his 'Furry Little Problem' gets in the way. That git just needs to suck it up, Thalia doesn't care.

That leaves us with Lily. If she was to sit on my lap, it would be 100% fine with everyone. Remus, sure, whatever. James.

No way.

A few months ago, I wouldn't have cared. But now that I know about his sudden romantic feelings for my little sis, I'm not letting anything like this happen. Merlin, they're not dating, I am not going to let her sit on his lap.

I didn't even notice that we were at the car until I felt someone tap me on the shoulder. It was Lily.

"Sirius, you're thinking what I'm thinking, aren't you?" she asked me innocently.

She obviously had no idea what I was _really _thinking about. She thought I was just thinking of the seating arrangements, not what was going on with James. I nodded, playing along.

"Yeah, Lils, what are we going to do? Someone has to sit on someone's lap."

She bit her lip and scrunched up her nose slightly. This was the face she always made whenever she was concentrating on something.

She pretty much repeated almost all of my thoughts to me, from Dad and Mum to Alice to Thalia and Remus. The only thing she didn't say was my thought about James, which made sense. She didn't have a clue about his feelings for her.

Thank Merlin for that.

"Well, considering those idea, I guess that leaves me," she said, shrugging. I gulped.

"It doesn't matter to me whose lap I'm sitting on, I'll leave that to you boys," she said, skipping away to help dad and mum load the slightly shrunken trunks into the boot of the car. **(AN: My cousin who lives in England said that the trunk of a car is called the 'boot'.. so there you go. And think of it, it would sound weird if I wrote: 'the slightly shrunken trunks into the trunk..')**

Me, Remus or James.

Wait, scratch that, no way am I letting her sit on James' lap.

So me or Remus.

Decisions decisions.

Lily P.O.V.

I'm glad dad and mum said that our new house isn't too far from King's Cross. We have to fit eight people into our car and we only have seven seats, so I am going to have to sit on one of the boys' laps. I am not going to make either Alice or Thalia do that, because that would just be cruel to them. No offense, guys.

I personally don't care. I just know Sirius is going to want to have some input so I guess the decision is up to him.

"Okay everyone, round up!" I yelled and everyone gathered around our car.

"Now, listen, we have to fit eight people into our car, but it's only supposed to seat seven. So that means we're going to have to do something Muggles call an illegal act of stupidity," I said, smirking. "Now, in order to fit all of us, I'm going to have to sit on one of the boys' lap."

"Lily, now I understand that this is completely stupid, so I wouldn't want to be the one doing it," Thalia said.

"But why is it you?" Alice finished, doing that weird talking in sync thing again with Lia.

"Think of it this way," I said, clapping my hands together. "Alice, although the guys are our best friends, I don't think you would want to be in a position like that when you are fully devoted to Frank, who happens to be back at Hogwarts."

Alice grinned sheepishly. "Well.. yeah."

"And Lia, I just know you wouldn't want to, let's just leave it at that," I said, giving Thalia a look.

Lia saw it and her eyes widened. I grinned and she just flushed a bright red color. I shared a knowing look with Sirius and we laughed at her. Sirius and I both knew that it would be incredibly awkward for her if she was to sit on one of their laps. Remus and James looked confused but they were smart enough to just shake it off and divert their attention.

I turned to the boys. "So, guys, who will it be?" I asked casually. "I personally don't care, so whoever is comfortable with it is fine with me."

For some strange reason, James looked uncomfortable and anxious, unlike his usual confident and bold self. This was starting to happen often; I was getting worried. What happened?

"James?" I asked, causing him to turn towards me with a confused expression. "Are you okay? You're not acting like your normal self."

He rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Yeah, I guess, but don't worry, I'm fine, Lils," he replied sheepishly. I gave him a look that plainly said "I don't believe you but I'm not going to push any further, you got lucky this time".

"Alright, Lils, you can sit with me, it's fine. We've done it tons of times before," Sirius said.

"Are you sure, Siri?" I asked hesitantly. "The last time we did that, we were twelve, not fifteen. I'm pretty sure I'm heavier now than I was three years ago."

"It's fine, you're my sister, I don't care."

I shrugged. "Well, okay then, everyone! Get in!"

Remus, Sirius and James climbed into the back, while Alice and Thalia took the two middle seats. I had to squeeze past Remus to get to Sirius, but everything worked out just fine. Luckily, according to dad and mum, our new house wasn't too far from the station, so I wouldn't have to be in that position for too long.

During the ride, almost all of my friends were chatting happily about how fun it was to ride in "a moving Muggle contraption. That _moves_!"

Somewhere along the way, I fell asleep as I rested my head on Sirius' shoulder. I thought it was only a brief nap but I guess I was asleep for longer than I thought because when I woke up, the atmosphere in the back seat was completely different from before.

Sirius P.O.V.

It was funny to watch Thalia and Alice's reaction to being in a car. They were squealing and shrieking and making all kinds of other girly noises. Actually, it wasn't really funny, but pretty irritating. Yeah, it was irritating all right.

If it wasn't for Lily, who was peacefully sleeping, I would have snapped and told them to shut the hell up before I chucked them out of the car. Instead, I fumed silently, which Remus noticed. He chuckled at the glares I was sending to the back of the girls' heads, which earned him his very own death glare.

I sat in between James and Remus in the back of the car. For most of the ride, I was looking out the window on Remus' side, but when I felt like someone was watching me, I turned my head. James wasn't watching me, but rather, he was watching Lily sleep. He had a content smile on his face.

I scowled. "Look, Prongs, I know you're pretty much in love with my sister, but could you tone it down," I grumbled, trying to keep my voice down so Lily wouldn't wake up.

James gulped and looked the other way, out the window. I could see his cheeks redden and the back of his neck prickled with a light sheen of sweat. He obviously thought he wasn't going to get caught.

I was never going to get used to my best mate's crush on my sister.

* * *

After a few more minutes, which were spent in a peaceful silence, we arrived at our new house. I couldn't believe my eyes. It was a beautiful three story house, and it looked like it also had an attic and a basement. It was _a lot _bigger than our last home, which actually was a pretty good size.

It was in a very private setting, which was great for us, a family that consisted of witches and wizards. I could tell that our backyard was huge, so I would definitely have to ask mum to put a Quidditch pitch back there. Hmm.. maybe I should get Lily to ask her. Mum does have a soft spot for her "sweet, loving daughter" as she so nicely puts it.

I couldn't see a single neighboring house. We had complete privacy. I loved our house already. I didn't want to have to worry about hiding magic and Quidditch and all that good stuff. I don't know how long I would last if that was the case.

In the distance, I could see a small stream. It wasn't so far that it would take _forever _to get to, but far enough that we wouldn't fall into it while walking around outside at night. I think us boys and Lily will find some creative ways to put that to use.

"Alright everyone!" Mum shouted, cupping her hands around her mouth in an attempt to sound louder. "Grab your trunks and then we'll head inside!"

Everyone scrambled out of the car, all of us almost falling into a pile in the process. We all did as we were told and unloaded our trunks from the boot of the car and followed mum up the winding walkway leading to our front door. The thuds of the wheels bouncing off the breaks in the pavement was the only sound we could hear. No one was talking. We were all too excited and anxious to say anything.

Mum and Drew, er, Dad, led the way. When we finally stopped on the front porch, we were all curious as to how we were going to get in. Mum and Dad said in the car that they didn't have a key, which was very odd.

We all 'ooed' and 'ahhed' when Mum and Dad simply waved their hands over the elegant silver doorknob and it gently swung open. They both turned to us.

"We have taken the liberty to enchant it so that the door opens whenever any one of you waves your hand over that. Easy, eh? No more bloody keys to handle and lose," Dad said.

Everyone laughed and happily walked through the front door. Amazed gasps sounded throughout the room. The place was beautiful.

It was already furnished from top to bottom. The furniture was elegant and timeless, but looked comfortable and homey at the same time. Warm colors decorated the house. I smiled when I saw tons of crimson and gold accents. Mum definitely had a part in decorating. She wanted to show off our Gryffindor pride.

"Now, I know you all may think that we're done decorating, but that's not true. We have decorated every room, except for your bedrooms. That is a task we will be leaving to you. There are six rooms of the second floor, along with an attached bathroom for each. Now, run along and decide who gets which room, and we'll meet you downstairs later for dinner. Have fun!" Mum said.

We all dashed up the staircase to the second floor.

"Hey! This is awesome! This floor is only our rooms and bathrooms!" Alice and Thalia yelled out from somewhere on the second floor.

We all grinned at each other. We were definitely going to have fun decorating our bedrooms, the way we want.

* * *

-Lily P.O.V.-

I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the house. It was absolutely gorgeous. It was pretty much my dream home, the one I have wanted since I was a little girl playing house with Petunia.

When I saw the large, extensive grounds the house was one, the first thought that came to mind was that we should have a Quidditch pitch. I know Sirius was thinking this, and maybe even Lia and James. It would be so cool to have a place at home to practice and play Quidditch.

I'm glad Rose, oops, Mum allowed us to decorate our own rooms. I was even surprised that we had enough bedrooms for all six of us to have our own. We all had our own bathrooms as well.

I went right to work decorating my room.

I walked in and looked at it from top to bottom. It was a large room with two bay windows, as my room had two exterior walls. It had a nice walk in closet. Although I wasn't a girly girl like Alice, I knew to appreciate this much storage. The attached bathroom was beautiful and spotless.

Luckily, since Mum was an adult witch, we could use magic in the house. **(AN: I'm going with the theory that the Ministry can only tell **_**where **_**magic is performed, not necessarily by who) **I could use my wand to decorate my room. Thank Merlin for that.

I decided to paint the walls an emerald green color. The exact shade of my eyes. I added dark purple curtains to my windows, so I could easily block out the light if needed. I moved my bed over so that the headboard was next to one of the windows. I put a white and purple quilt and matching pillows and sheets on it.

I had some Muggle technology at our old house that my dad brought with him. I hadn't used any of it in months because I couldn't bring them to Hogwarts. I had a laptop, a cell phone, an iPod, a camera, a few speakers, a portable DVD player and a CD player. My dad had already predicted that I would choose this room, so all of that stuff was already here, waiting for me to put them where I want them.

Soon enough, my entire room was decorated to perfection. I absolutely loved it.

We were going to love living here, as a happy family.

Ignore how incredibly cliché that sounded.

* * *

**Hey everyone! I know you must all hate me for not updating in who knows how long, but I am not lying when I say school and sports has really kept me busy. I am a terrible procrastinator and it's amazing that my grades haven't slipped below my A average because of it. Sports, karate especially, are really time consuming. I go in early every other day to help teach the younger classes and I feel bad whenever I don't go in. I hope this long chapter makes up for it, but it probably doesn't :/**

**I know a lot of you are going to tell me that none of the technology I mentioned existed at that time. But I don't care. It does in my story.**


	18. Sirius Intimidation

Chapter 18 – Sirius P.O.V.

We're in! We're all finally unpacked and settled into our new home, and I for one, could not be happier. Now that everyone is finished working on their rooms, we can finally do some fun stuff!

You know, once we figure out what we're doing.. I guess it would be smart to start making a few plans..

"Lils!" I yelled down the hall.

I smirked when I saw Lily stick her head out the door of her bedroom, which was all the way down the hall from where I was standing in front of James' room. It was a pretty funny sight.

"What do you want?" she asked.

"I'm bored, we should all do something," I said simply.

Lily nodded thoughtfully as she stepped out of her room. Her eyes widened and a bright smile appeared on her face. I knew that look. She had just thought of a plan.

Lily then proceeded to skip down the hallway, knocking on a bedroom door obnoxiously before moving on to the next one.

"Guys! We're going out! Be ready and downstairs in ten!" Lily sang as she skipped down the hallway.

I decided to let Lils do all of the thinking for now, and went downstairs to wait for the others. I looked down at what I was wearing – dark jeans and a red t-shirt with a black long sleeved shirt underneath. It was fine for whatever Lily planned today.

After about five minutes, everyone, except for Lily herself, was downstairs, waiting and ready to go. I couldn't help but think of what Lily might have planned for us today..

Park? Shopping? Could be anything, really.

And just at that moment, Lils walked down the stairs, jumping off the third to last step and landing perfectly on the smooth wood floor.

"Okay everyone, I know what we're doing today: we're going into Muggle London!" she said happily.

"Really? That's perfect!" Thalia and Alice said, once again, in perfect harmony.

"Erm, Lils? Not that I don't like this idea, as a matter of fact, I love it, but do you really think going into Muggle London with a bunch of wizards is the best idea? I mean, we have Sirius and James with us," Remus said, mumbling the last part. Unfortunately, said boys heard him and were apparently thoroughly offended. If you didn't catch that, I was one of the said boys. And I was thoroughly offended.

"Nah, Rem, I think it'll be good," Lily said confidently. "Now let's head out!"

Somehow, we ended up somewhere in Muggle London. I was apparently too busy staring at the sky to see how we got there, but eh. Doesn't matter how we got there, right?

I looked around me. Black cars, white cars, red cars, cars of all colors quickly drove by, sending gusts of wind toward us. Tall buildings loomed above us, making even the tallest people feel short. Crowds of people walked by, occasionally bumping into one of us. It was amazing.

Lily grinned and clapped her hands. "Alright everyone, who's hungry?"

Lily led us to a small cafe a few blocks away from where we started. It was a cozy little place, not very crowded. Remus, James and I found a couple tables in the back while the girls went off to get us some food. I took this chance to talk to James.

"Mate, how are you doing? With, _you know_?" I asked, looking directly at James.

Remus took the hint and stayed silent. He obviously didn't want to get into this but we also curious in what James had to say.

James swallowed. "Sirius, what do you want to know?" He nervously ran a hand through his already unruly black hair.

"Look," I said, not answering his question. "Lily is my sister. She means so much to me and I would kill anyone who hurts her. I just want to know if you're planning on asking her out or something. It would be nice to be informed."

"Soon, Sirius."

That was his only response. I was about to ask him to elaborate but then the girls returned. And this time, with a boy.

I glared at the stranger. He had brown hair, which was casually messed up, and dark blue eyes. He looked to be about our age, if not slightly older. He stood tall, probably about as tall as James or myself.

"Guys, this is Mason. He was my best friend before Hogwarts," Lily said, gesturing to the stranger. "Mason, this is Remus, James, and Sirius, my step-brother."

We each stood as we were introduced. I slowly stood and walked over to face Mason. He looked slightly intimidated but it was obvious he was trying not to show it. I felt some of my hatred towards him slip away.

I forced a smile on my face. "Nice to meet you Mason, I'm Sirius." I extended a hand to him, which he hesitantly took.

He attempted to smile, but it just came out as a grimace. I grinned inwardly, knowing he was intimidated by me. Yes, that's right. Be scared, Mason, be scared.

"Likewise," he said, then swallowed.

I was gonna have fun with this.

* * *

**Sorry for being AWOL for so long. Since it's summer, I'm trying to update more, and I know those of you who also read _James and His Pickup Lines_ know that since I've been posting quite a few chapters for that. I had to reupload this chapter since I left some notes at the top and just noticed it now. I'm also in the middle of writing another chapter for this story and another chapter for JAHPL, so just hang in there!**


	19. Spilling Squirm Worthy Secrets

Chapter 19 – Lily's P.O.V.

I couldn't believe it was him! I haven't seen Mason in about five years! Gosh, time has flown.. I could clearly remember when we were young, walking home from school, laughing at random things, doing homework together, sharing snacks during class break, throwing glue and getting it stuck in our hair.. Ah, the luxuries of being young and carefree.

I introduced Mace to the girls before leading him over to where the boys were sitting. I mentally crossed my fingers. _I hope Sirius won't be a butthead about this.._

I knew how Sirius was when it came to boys being around me. He didn't have a problem with Remus and James, of course. They were my best friends, as well as his best mates. He could trust them with anything. And I knew he knew he could trust them with me.

I let out a sigh of relief after Mason and Sirius exchanged polite greetings. The boys meeting Mace seemed to go well enough. And for that, I was insanely glad.

We took our seats at the table the boys had claimed. Remus, James and Sirius sat on one side while Alice, Thalia and I sat on the other side. There were two empty seats – one next to Sirius and one next to me.

Remus gestured for Mason to take a seat. He quickly chose to sit in the seat next to me, rather than the one next to Sirius. I guess their meeting didn't go as smoothly as I thought.

"So Mason, Lily said you knew her before she left for school," Remus said casually, starting the conversation.

Mason nodded as he took a sip of his drink. "Yep, we went to primary school together before she got her Hogwarts letter."

Everyone's eyes widened. "How do you- how?" James asked, spluttering.

Mason and I shared amused looks. "Guys, Mason was my _best friend_. Of course I told him about Hogwarts. I didn't want him thinking I got kidnapped or something once I left for ¾ of a year," I stated, rolling my eyes.

"And don't worry, I haven't told anyone about Hogwarts. As a matter of fact, my cousin is a Muggleborn so I was happy to be in the loop. My cousin got her letter the next year," he said grinning.

"Oh?" Thalia said, a polite smile on her face. "Do we know her?"

Mason smiled at her. Remus seemed to see this and looked slightly irritated. Poor guy.

"Probably, she's a Hufflepuff, I believe that's what it's called. Name's Callista Goodwin."

I almost choked on my drink. I hadn't been informed of this.

"Callista Goodwin is your _cousin_?" Thalia, Alice and I asked in unison. Our eyes were probably ready to fall out of their sockets.

Mason looked confused. "Erm, yes?" he answered, looking _very _confused. "Why? Is that a problem?"

I shared panicked looks with the girls. 'Should we tell him?' I mouthed to them. They shrugged.

The boys looked uncomfortable with the conversation. Especially James. But then again, with what happened, I don't blame him. If that had happened to me, I would definitely be squirming in my seat right now. Maybe even barfing.

_Callista "The Resident Fem-Creep" Goodwin is Mason's cousin_. I couldn't believe it. How could they even be related? They were not alike _at all_!

"Okay, can I just found out why Callista being my cousin is such a big deal?" Mason asked rather impatiently. Mason didn't like not knowing things, especially when they concerned him in some way.

Remus looked around at all of us and saw the angry expressions which were sure to be on all of our faces. He cleared his throat and took it upon himself to explain.

"Well, erm, mate, Callista," he coughed awkwardly. "Um, you see-"

"SHE BLOODY TRIED TO RAPE JAMES!" I yelled suddenly, cutting him off.

It was suddenly silent.

Cue the uncomfortable feeling right in my gut. This was not going to end well.

* * *

**Hmm, not too sure how I feel about this one. This wasn't even planned when I began the chapter. Words just kept flowing onto the page and this is the result. There is going to be another chapter that is directly involved with this one, so keep your eyes peeled for that. Sorry this one is short, I just wanted to start updating this story again, and I've been having writer's block for a _long _time. Let me know what you think of the chapter and the story overall! Do you love it? Hate it? Wanna throw your computer out of the window in disgust? Tell me!**


	20. The Story Is Revealed

Chapter 20 – Sirius P.O.V.

Mason choked on his drink. Lily had to clap him on the back a few times to help him regain control of his breathing, but even then, she still looked angry. The thought of Callista "The Resident Fem-Creep" Goodwin made us all angry and sick. Just the thought of her made me want to barf every single morsel of food in my stomach.

"Wh-what?" he asked, his eyes bugging out of his head.

"She said it, mate," Remus snapped. "You're bloody cousin tried to rape James."

Mason look unbelievably shocked. "Bu-but, Callie is the most innocent 14 year old ever! She probably hasn't even had her first kiss yet!"

I snorted. "She probably had her first kiss before she knew what the word meant."

Mason sent a glare my way. Which I returned. No one was going to defend that little she demon. Not after what she did to my best mate.

"I don't believe you," he grumbled, sinking into his chair and crossing his arms. Honestly. He looked exactly like a stubborn child at the moment.

"Fine, you may not believe Sirius, but I know you trust me, Mace," Lily said, trying very hard to keep her temper in check.

"Believe me when I say this: Callista Goodwin is _not_ the nice girl you think she is."

Mason shook his head. "But how could this be possible? Callie was raised by two very devout Catholic people. She was taught proper manners from the time she could walk and speak. She was punished for saying "hell"! How could she have possibly done something so, so, vile!" Mason shouted, throwing his hands up in the air.

All of us were silent. We were all thinking of when it happened.

* * *

"_WHOOOOO! PRONGS! WE DID IT, MATE!" I shouted, happily embracing James._

_He laughed loudly and clapped a hand on my back. "IT'S UNBELIEVABLE! WE ACTUALLY DID IT, PADS!"_

"_Congratulations, guys!" Lily yelled, skipping over to us. "You two were amazing out there!"_

_James and I grinned. We had just won the Quidditch cup against Slytherin. And it wasn't easy. _

_See, James is usually a Chaser, but our Seeker had mysteriously gotten a nasty case of the stomach virus (we all swear is was the Slytherins trying to sabotage our chance of winning). So our captain at the time, 7th year Cian McLaggen, proposed a plan. He had seen us Marauders playing a friendly game of Quidditch before and knew that us three – James, Remus and I – could play basically any position. Even Remus, who wasn't on the team. _

_So this is what went down:_

_James was temporarily moved from his position as Chaser and was made Seeker. I kept my role as Beater. Remus was added as Chaser, to take James' vacant spot. And miraculously, it worked. Amazingly well._

_About two hours after the game began, the match was close. 180-170, in favor of Gryffindor. Remus was spectacular, he was responsible for 10 of the goals. Then one of the Slytherin Chasers scored another goal. We were tied. It was starting to turn frigid, goosebumps were crawling up my arms. No one wanted to play any longer, but we needed to win._

_Then James spotted the Snitch. He sped after it, but unfortunately, the Slytherin Seeker had also spotted it. The two were neck and neck, both only inches away from holding the golden ball in their palms. I needed to do something._

"_Oi! Matthews! Over here!" I yelled to my fellow Beater, gesturing for him to send the Bludger my way. Adrian looked confused, but followed my commands and hit the wildly moving object my way._

_I mentally crossed my fingers. This needed to work. With a powerful hit, I whacked my bat and sent the Bludger zooming towards Timothy Garnier, the Slytherin seeker. Garnier was knocked off his broom and out of the way, allowing James to grab the Snitch, ending the game and winning the championship for Gryffindor._

_To celebrate, we decided to throw a party in the Gryffindor common room. It was close to midnight, and the party was in full swing. People were having a great time, dancing, talking to friends, drinking the smuggled in Firewhiskey and Butterbeer._

_Out of all the people who were drinking, James had probably had the most. He was very _very_ drunk, and was not coherent. He was stumbling around the room, bumping into people, announcing every single thought that ran through his head. He was obviously not in his right mind._

_Callista Goodwin saw that and decided to act. She had been proclaiming her love for James for the past three years – since the year she was sorted into the Gryffindor. James was a year above her, but that didn't stop her from lusting after him._

"_Jamie," Callista purred, sitting next to James on the couch. She ran a hand down his arm, attempting to come across as sultry and seductive, but instead appearing to be dangerously possessed._

"_Why isn't it Callista May Goodwin!" James slurred, looking at her through hazy eyes._

"_You seem exhausted, what do you say I bring you up to your dorm so you can get some rest, eh?" she said, pulling him up from the couch. James didn't answer, but let her lead him to the staircase._

_He was too out of it to realize that instead of bringing him up to the 4th year boys' dorm, she was leading him into the 3rd year girls' room, which was empty. He didn't notice when she guided him over to a bed, and coaxed him into lying down. He didn't notice when she placed kisses on his neck. He didn't notice it when she started unbuttoning his shirt.._

_The door slammed open and almost off its hinges. In the doorway stood a furious Lily. She had seen the two leave the common room, and followed them. She was seething. Her green eyes were darker than usual and instead of their usual happy glow, one could practically see flames reflected within them. Her cheeks were burning red, matching the color of her hair. Her stance was rigid and tense, almost as if she was ready to leap onto Callista at any moment._

"_CALLISTA GOODWIN! GET AWAY FROM JAMES RIGHT NOW!" Lily yelled angrily from the doorway. _

_She stormed over and shoved Callista away from her and James. Startled, Callista did nothing to retaliate and fell back into another bed, her back slamming into the wooden bedpost. She whimpered in pain and fearfully looked up at Lily._

"_Now, L-Lily, please," she pleaded. "I was doing nothing wro-"_

"_OH, DON'T YOU EVEN START DEFENDING YOURSELF, GOODWIN!" Lily growled in her face, their noses not three inches apart. _

_Callista shrunk back at the fury in Lily's expression. Lily whipped her wand out of her cardigan and pointed it at Callista in a threatening manner. This action triggered more fear. Everyone knew how dangerous Lily Evans was with a wand._

"_Please, stop! I'm s-sorry!" Callista sobbed, holding her hands up in front of her face in defense._

"_YOU DON'T DESERVE MERCY, GOODWIN. NO! YOU DESERVE NOTHING LESS THAN HELL!" Lily spat._

"_Lily! Stop!" another voice shouted. One that was not Callista. It was one of a male._

_Lily turned around and saw Thalia, Remus and I standing in the doorway, looking scared and worried._

"_Lily. Stop," Remus commanded. "Don't do something you're going to regret."_

"_Oh, I won't regret this!"Lily laughed bitterly._

"_No, Lils, you will. I know you, and you will regret causing any harm to Callista, as much as I believe she deserves it," I warned Lily, throwing a glare at Callista, to which she cringed._

"_Fine," she snapped. _

_She turned to the cowering Callista. "I hope you one day get what you deserve," she snarled before storming out of the room._

* * *

"Callista really did all that?" Mason asked in a weak voice. We all nodded. James was silent, he just kept his eyes glued to the glass of water before him. His messy black locks, some of which covered not only his forehead but his eyebrows, hid his eyes from us.

"Mason, Callista is not the person you think she is. She may have been at one point, but she most definitely isn't now," Thalia stated in a hard tone.

I glanced at Lily. She was looking at James with a concerned expression on her face. I sighed. She was worried about him. As was I. I hated seeing my best mate like that.

Lily got up from her seat and walked around the table to stand behind James' chair. He still didn't look up. Lily sighed. She lightly tapped him on the shoulder. James slowly brought his head up and looked at Lily. His face was still emotionless.

She knelt down so she was close to eye level with James.

"I'm here, Jay," she whispered tenderly, using the nickname only she used for James. She wrapped her arms around his neck and brought him in close for a hug. It took him a moment, but James returned the embrace. He buried his face in her hair and breathed in deeply.

I sighed as I looked at the two sharing an intimate moment. James found comfort in the only one who could possibly give it to him – my little sister. The love of his life.

_When will she realize?_

* * *

**Pottermore anyone? I'm FeatherNox2213**

**Review!**


	21. Welcoming Irish Cuties

Chapter 21 – Lily P.O.V.

After a long, and eventful Easter break, we were back at Hogwarts. I was sad to leave our new home, but the thought of returning to my home-away-from-home was inviting. I was excited to be back at Hogwarts, to walk through its halls, partake in the classes, play Quidditch.

"Ah, it's good to be back!" Sirius exclaimed as we entered the common room. He left his stuff by the staircase and collapsed on his favorite couch by the fire. We all chuckled fondly.

"Didn't know you were so excited to get back to _school_," Remus teased, sitting on the arm chair opposite Sirius.

Sirius sat up and pointed his index finger at him in a correcting manner. "No, Moony, that's where you're wrong. We're not just back at school, we're back at _Hogwarts_. Big difference."

Remus chuckled and put his hands up in defense. "Oh, I'm ever so sorry for such a mistake. I apologize if it has somehow insulted your being," he said sarcastically.

Sirius sniffed and nodded curtly, as if this was the proper answer. My brother, ladies and gents.

We all turned at the sound of the portrait moving. There, standing at the entrance to the common room, was Dumbledore and McGonagall. But they weren't alone. Next to them stood three people – two boys and one girl. They seemed to be triplets.

"Good morning, all," Dumbledore said politely, a smile on his face. We all smiled and waved to them.

"Now, I'm sure you're all wondering why myself and Professor McGonagall are here. We are asking you lot, particularly our Prefects and Quidditch captain," Dumbledore looked at Remus, James and I, "to show these three around the school and help them in any way you can. Make them comfortable, be a friend."

Professor McGonagall stepped forward, gesturing for the three siblings to stand before her. "These are the Kavanagh triplets. They have been homeschooled by their parents in Ireland, until now. They have been sorted into Gryffindor and are fifth years just like yourselves. I'll let them introduce themselves to you."

One stepped forward towards me, a handsome boy with casually messy light blonde hair and bright blue eyes. He was slightly shorter than Sirius and Remus, but still taller than me. Wow, he was good looking He flashed me a charming smile. I couldn't help but blush and smile back. He was _very_ good looking. "Hello, Niall Kavanagh, at your service, beautiful," he took my hand and placed a light kiss on my knuckle.

I blushed even more. "H-Hi, I'm Lily Evans, Gryffindor Prefect," I replied, smiling shyly back at him.

I sighed inwardly at his accent. I know that must sound weird coming from me, a British girl with a _British_ accent, but really? His Irish accent is adorable! It's just like American girls swooning over British accents. I could listen to Niall talk for hours..

"Lily," he repeated. Ah, that voice! "Beautiful name for a beautiful girl." He winked.

I giggled. Sirius cleared his throat and sent me an irritated look.

"Oh right! Well this is Sirius, my brother," I gestured to him. Sirius simply nodded and kept his steely glare on him.

"I'm Remus Lupin, also a Gryffindor Prefect." Remus smiled warmly at the three siblings, not very discretely elbowing Sirius in the side.

James stepped forward, seeming slightly upset at something. "James Potter, Gryffindor Quidditch captain," he waved at the triplets. The girl blushed and giggled.

"I'm Aislinn Kavanagh, pleasure to meet you!" she skipped up and smiled brightly. James politely shook the hand she extended to him. I stifled a laugh. James looked rather uncomfortable.

Aislinn was a pretty girl with brown hair that seemed to have natural red highlights that was slightly wavy and reached just past her shoulder blades. She had the same blue eyes as both her brothers. She was petite, just an inch or two shorter than Alice. With her rosy cheeks, little button nose, and gentle features, she looked younger than fifteen. Almost as if she was a child doll modeling the Hogwarts uniform. But somehow, she made it work for her.

"Hello all! My name is Alice Prynn and this is my boyfriend, Frank Longbottom," Alice piped up, introducing both herself and Frank, who approached her as soon as we entered the common room.

"Hi, I'm Thalia," Lia stepped forward. Niall's brother walked up to her.

"Hello gorgeous, I'm Declan Cole Kavanagh. Keep that in mine when we're signing the marriage papers, love," Declan said smoothly, throwing Lia a winning smile.

She blushed an intense shade of red. "I-It's nice to meet you, Declan Cole Kavanagh. I'm Thalia Brielle Jones," Thalia said, trying to sound nonchalant and unaffected by Declan's obvious firting towards her.

Declan looked almost exactly like Niall, but his hair was brown instead of blond. He also appeared to be a bit taller than his brother. There were minor differences in their facial details, but they looked very similar. If it wasn't for the hair color difference, I would have thought they looked almost exactly alike.

I turned away from the two who were actively flirting with each other and looked at Niall. His light blonde hair stood up in various places. As if he had run his hand through his hair a couple times. I smiled, he reminded me of James.

I shook my head, clearing my mind of the thought.

Niall was really very handsome, I couldn't stop looking at his eyes. They were this bright, clear shade of blue. It was almost as if they were a transparent window to his soul. I felt as if I could tell exactly how he was feeling just by looking at them. I found myself thinking how different they were from James' hazel eyes. James' eyes were quite interesting. I have seen his eyes in every color except blue. They have been brown, black, gray, gold, green, but never blue. His eyes seemed to change colors with the light and how he was feeling, yet, I could never quite pinpoint what was going on through his mind..

I stopped myself. Why was I thinking about James? Of all people, the thought of beautiful eyes and adorably messy hair brought James Potter to mind.

Why?

* * *

**This chapter introduces some new people to Hogwarts. What do you think of them? They will be in the next few chapters, at the very least. They do have an actual reason to be added into the story at this point. Not sure how long I'll keep them as part of the plot, but let me know if you like them! If you do, I'll keep them around longer!**


	22. Screaming Secrets

Chapter 22 – Sirius P.O.V.

"Lily.. shouldn't be flirting with boys.. especially not in front of me.." I grumbled angrily.

James nodded mutely, crossing his arms across his chest and slumping down on the couch. He sat next to me, not saying a word. Unlike me, he was just upset, rather than angry.

The nerve of that Niall bloke! Flirting with my baby sister right in front of me! How dare he! Lily is too good for him! He doesn't deserve her! With his stupid perfect hair, and stupid perfect eyes, and stupid perfect Irish accent, and stupid perfect everything..

"Look, mate," Remus said, sitting down across from me. "I know you're angry and everything, but please don't do anything to Niall. Lily is a smart girl, she knows how to take care of herself."

Remus turned to look at the sulking James. "And Prongs, calm down. You still have a chance with her. Just because she seems to fancy this bloke doesn't mean they're bloody engaged! He just got here, he doesn't know anything about us, and he definitely doesn't know about you liking her. He's just trying to find a companion here. So stop pouting like a little kid and get yourself together."

Something in James just snapped.

"But you don't know what it feels like! To see the girl you love flirting with another guy right in front of you! And I can't even do anything about it because we're not together and she doesn't know about my feelings for her! So just stop telling me what to do and leave me alone!" James yelled before he stormed upstairs to our dorm.

Lily looked startled. "Is James alright? What were you guys talking about?" she asked, concerned.

Inwardly, I sighed in relief. She didn't know James was talking about her. I praised the heavens for Lily's naivety.

"Nothing, Lils, James is just not going through the best time right now," Remus replied. I threw him a grateful look.

Lily didn't look sold though. "Okay, and why won't he talk to me about it?" she asked skeptically. "He always comes to me for advice."

_Uh oh,_ I thought to myself. "Lily, just don't worry about it, it's not really something you could help him with," I said.

"I'll be the judge of that," she said as she walked to the staircase.

Remus and I shared panicked looks before we jumped off the couches and sprinted to the staircase, blocking the way up.

"Lily. _Don't_," I warned, using the most serious and authoritative voice I could muster.

"No, Sirius Orion Evans, _you_ don't. Do _not_ get in the way of me helping my friends. Now move," she snapped, ramming her shoulder into the little space between Remus and I, causing us to move far enough apart for her to stomp past.

I groaned. "Why does she have to be so stubborn?" I shouted, throwing my hands up in the air.

Remus shrugged and we both ran up the stairs to our dorm. The door was slightly ajar. We crouched down just outside the doorway, making sure to keep our presence unknown. Lily would _kill_ us if she knew we were listening in on their conversation.

"James?" Lily asked hesitantly. We heard bed springs creak as if the person sitting on the mattress had jumped.

"Oh Lily! It's you! Merlin, you scared me," James said. We heard Lily's footsteps and then a slight creak. Lily was sitting on the bed next to James.

"I heard you yelling at Rem and Sirius downstairs, is there something you need to talk about?" Lily asked in her motherly voice. That voice _always _got people to confess things to her.

James sighed. "It's fine, Lils, don't worry about it. Why don't you just go give Niall a tour of the castle or something?" James asked. Remus and I winced. We heard the bit of hurt and anger in James' words.

It seems Lily did too. "He, Declan and Aislinn are getting settled into their dorms. James, what's wrong? And don't you dare try lying to me."

"Lily, just leave it."

"No."

"Lily, I said-"

"I don't care what you said. I said no. Now tell me."

"Lily-"

"James! Tell me!" Lily shouted.

"FINE! YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT'S BOTHERING ME!" James bellowed, jumping off the bed.

"No no no no..." Remus and I whispered, our eyes widening.

_He wasn't.. no, he isn't.. please no.. James don't.._

"I'M BLOODY IN LOVE WITH YOU, LILY EVANS!"

* * *

**Well there you have it! Now, I know the triplets really weren't in this chapter, but they will be making another appearance.. probably in the next chapter. I have reasons for introducing them and I have everything planned out to a certain point.**

**Let me know what you think!**


	23. Running Into Date Proposals

Chapter 23 – Lily P.O.V.

_..What? _My eyes widened and I gaped at him.

"W-what? You're _in love _with _me_? B-but, what? How?" I spluttered. The questions just kept spilling out of my mouth. I couldn't think straight.

"How could I not be, Lily?" James replied, looking down at the floor. When James said that, he almost sounded.. sad.

"James, I'm not the girl for you," I tried to convince him. Or was I trying to convince myself?

_No, James is just my best friend, _I firmly told myself. My brain obviously didn't agree with me.

_You're lying to yourself, Lily._

_If he was really only your friend, then why do you keep thinking about him?_

_Why do you keep comparing him to Niall?_

_Why are you always so concerned about him?_

_'Because he's my friend,' _I tried telling myself.

_Why does your heart beat faster when he's around?_

_'It doesn't,' _I protested.

_Keep trying to tell yourself that._

And lastly..

_Why does this make all you so happy?_

"Yes, you are, Lily. You're the only one for me."

James took a few steps toward me. My heart pounded in my chest. My breath quickened. With every advancing step, I retreated. Soon, I was right next to the doorway.

"J-James. I.. I can't," I cried. I ran out of the room. My mind registered that Sirius and Rem were crouching down next to the door, which meant that they had been eavesdropping. But at the moment, I just didn't care. I had to get away.

I was scared. I had just gone up to check on James, and I come down reliving the memory of him confessing his love for me. It all felt so.. surreal. I couldn't believe that it actually just happened. James was my best friend, I was sure of that. But were we simply 'just friends', anymore?

I jogged down the stairs, not watching where I was going. Close to the bottom, where the two staircases from the boys' and girls' halves of the tower met, I ran into someone. I jumped back in surprise.

"Lily!"

"Oh! Niall! I'm so sorry!" I cried. "I should have been paying more attention!"

"It's okay, really. Lily it's okay!" Niall laughed, taking my hands, which had been fluttering around, looking for any signs that I had injured him, in his own. "Really."

I looked down and chuckled. I tucked a loose tendril of hair behind my ear. "Sorry, again."

"No, it was my fault too. I was too busy thinking about something that I wasn't aware of my surroundings," Niall said. His tone made me curious as to what he was thinking about.

"Oh? And that something might be?" I asked.

Niall's lips curved upwards in a small smile. "You see, there's this girl I just met. She's absolutely amazing. She's beautiful from head to toe, and unbelievably kind and smart. I really want to ask her out, but I don't know if she'll say yes."

I frowned. _Who is this girl Niall is so smitten by? Girl he just met.. beautiful.. kind.. smart.. Is it Lia? She is absolutely gorgeous.. But no, Declan is the one who has his eyes on her.. So then who?_

"Well, Niall, I don't know what girl would say no to you. You're incredibly handsome and charming, and just an amazing guy. And to top it off, having that adorable Irish accent will definitely help you with the ladies," I said with a chuckle.

Niall laughed. His brilliant blue eyes sparkled happily.

"Niall, that girl would be lucky to have a man like you by her side," I told him, sending him a reassuring smile.

_I know I would be._

"Well, in that case," Niall said, grinning.

"Lily, will you go out with me?"

I froze. _Really? Me? He wants to go out with me?_

"Niall..." I trailed off, looking away for a moment.

Everything was happening so quickly. First, James tells me he is in love with me. I run away. Then, Niall asks me to go out with him? What should I do? I'm so confused!

Niall looked worried, like he was expecting me to say no. _Well this is it. _I turned back to him with a smile on my face.

"Yes, Niall Kavanagh, I will go out with you."


	24. Almost Everyone is Upset

Chapter 24 – Sirius P.O.V.

After Lily ran out of the room, Remus and I were hesitant to enter. We didn't know how James was going to react. Was he going to blow up again? Go into an emotionless state? James had never been like this. We were treading into unknown territory.

We waited a minute before walking in. Remus and I found James lying flat on his bed, his eyes closed. He was breathing at a normal pace, not slowly, meaning he was still awake. We sat at the edge of his bed.

"James, mate? How are you feeling?" Remus asked softly, not wanting to upset him anymore.

James slowly opened his eyes and sat up. "Like I just lost everything."

Remus and I shared a worried look. James was the kind of guy who never let anything bring him down. He always kept an upbeat attitude, if not for himself, for anyone else who might be feeling down in the dumps.

When his grandmother died, he shed tears, but in private. He wanted to be strong for his parents and everyone else in his family, because he knew someone had to be. This is the first time he truly sounded upset, like he gave up on himself.

"Why don't you tell us about it? Maybe that will help," I suggested.

He shrugged. "Lily came up and refused to take no for an answer when I told her I didn't want her to help me. And then I just, blew up. I confessed to her, and she looked scared. I don't know whether it's the fact that we've been friends for so long, or if she just knows she could never feel the same way. But regardless, I've changed things between us, and I don't think we can ever get back to that. I messed up, and I can't fix this."

He sounded empty. I looked into his eyes and I saw nothing reflected in his hazel orbs. Instead of being a mixture of different colors, like they usually were, they were a solid, steely gray. He was completely still, almost as if all energy was drained from his body.

Remus' expression suddenly turned hard. He got up from where he sat and stood next to James' bed, towering over him. He took him by the shoulders and gripped him tightly. I was shocked by the sudden transformation.

"James, don't ever say that. Can't should be a word that is not in your vocabulary. Sirius and I know how much you like Lily-

"Love," James grumbled, squeezing his eyes shut.

"-And that should be enough for you to go out there and chase her, fight for her. You don't want her to get away, right? Well _do _something about it." With every word, Remus poked a hard finger into James' chest.

I had never heard Remus speak like this. His tone was unfamiliar to me. It seemed Remus aged 10 years in the past five minutes, all because he wanted to help his friend. I could tell he was really serious about this.

James sprang up from his sitting position. "You're right, Moony!" he shouted, and in the blink of an eye, he was gone from the room. Remus and I shared surprised looks. We did not expect him to recover so quickly.

Despite the fact that I had just witnessed everything, I couldn't help but imagine what could have happened. Say, if Lily had said she loved James back..

"_I'M BLOODY IN LOVE WITH YOU, LILY EVANS!"_

"_James.. is this true?" Lily asked timidly._

"_Yes, Lily, it's true. Completely and undeniably true," James confirmed._

"_Oh, James! I love you too!" Lily cried happily, throwing her arms around James' neck._

_James grinned widely and wraps his arms around her, picking her up and swinging her around in circles.._

I couldn't really imagine that happening, but I would most definitely take that over anything else. I didn't want this to come between Lily and James. I don't know what I'd do if I lost either of them. They're my family.

"Sirius, let's go downstairs. I want to check on James, I still don't think he's in his right mind," Remus said, pushing me towards the door. His voice sounded worried, almost as if he knew that something bad had happened already.

I nodded. I swear, Remus was psychic. We all knew to trust whatever gut feelings he had, because he was always right. I don't know if it was part of his werewolf instincts, but whatever Remus said, came true.

We descended the stairs slowly, not sure what we were going to stumble upon. What we saw in the common room stopped Remus cold. I could practically feel my blood boiling already. My stance became rigid and my hands balled into fists.

My sweet, innocent, naïve baby sister was walking out the portrait hole. Hand in hand with none other than that new pretty boy Irish bloke Niall.

And there, in the middle of the room, in front of the dying fire, James was slamming his head on the coffee table. A tear escaped his eye and landed on the carpet.

* * *

**Hi everyone! You're probably all going to hate me after this chapter, but something had to happen! Anyway, I'm sorry for being MIA but Hurricane Sandy recently hit my area, leaving me with no power for almost a week. I was going to use that time to write, but my laptop was dead and there was always little to no light from outside, due to the gray skies and stormy weather. My prayers go out to all affected by the storm! You're not alone!**


	25. Thalia's Words of Wisdom

Chapter 25 – Lily P.O.V.

Exhausted. That was how I felt after the events that occurred today. I felt as if all the stamina and energy I built up from Quidditch couldn't help me now. I was emotionally exhausted, and all because of my choices.

First, James, my best friend, the boy who has been there for me through thick and thin, the ups and downs, my successes and failures, the one who has wiped my tears away and whispered comforting words, who has always looked out for me, told me he was in love with me. And I just ran away.

Then Niall, the mysterious, kind but shy new student, asked me out. And for some strange reason, I said yes. Now, don't get me wrong, Niall seems like a great guy. But I feel as if I shouldn't have said yes so quickly, especially since James had just told me he was in love with me.

Merlin, what's wrong with me? I obviously don't know how to deal with the male species.

After I accepted Niall's request, I took him on a tour of the Hogwarts castle. I knew he had already been given one, but I offered to show him around anyway because I needed something to take my mind off things. He gladly accepted my offer.

It went smoothly, to put it simply. Nothing really happened, to be honest. We just held hands as I showed him around, pointing out important places, spewing out random facts, pointing at trick steps on the staircases and false doors. But the entire time, I couldn't shake the feeling that I had just lost something.

At dinner, I sat with Thalia away from James, Sirius, Remus, and the Kavanagh triplets. I needed time to just talk to Lia. She always knew what to say and gave the best advice.

"Lia, I'm kinda in trouble," I started off. My hands were folded in my lap and I just stared blankly down at the plate before me.

Thalia took one look at me and immediately dropped her utensils and gave me her undivided attention. This is why I loved her so much; she always put her friends first before herself.

"Lils, you know you can tell me anything," Lia reassured me, placing a delicate hand on my arm. I nodded mutely, still looking down at my plate.

"Now tell me what's on your mind."

And with that, everything spilled out of my mouth. Everything from suddenly being attracted to Niall upon first sight, to comparing him to James, to James' love confession, and finally to saying yes to Niall. Throughout the entire thing, Lia sat there, listening attentively, while the gears in her head went to work. She always came up with the best solutions.

"Well Lil, from what you've told me, I can see you're in a real pickle," she said, earning herself a chuckle from me. She smiled. "I think subconsciously, you've been developing feelings for James- shush, let me talk," she cut me off when she saw me open my mouth to say something.

"Now, you've been developing feelings for him but you've done your best to ignore them, because you're scared of loss. You're scared that if your relationship with him changes from platonic to romantic, something will go wrong and you'll lose him. But you're also scared that if you lose him, you'll lose Remus, you may drift away from Alice and me, and you could hurt your brother. And you rushed into a relationship with Niall because you thought that if you avoided the issue at hand, it would somehow fix itself. But really Lils, you can't run away from your problems."

Somewhere during her monologue, a tear escaped my eye and before I knew it, tears were flowing from my eyes and choked sobs were resonating from me. Thalia enveloped me in a warm hug and stroked my hair as I cried into her shoulder.

I cried and cried. I cried because she was right. My life had been perfect with everyone around me, and I was scared of losing all of that. I realized then that I needed something else in my life. Correction – I need someone. James had always been there for me, and I can't just let him go.

"Thalia," I choked out.

"Yeah, Lils?" she asked softly, still hugging me.

"How are you always right?" I asked. I smiled at the sound of her tinkling laugh.

The sound of metal clinking against glass caused the Great Hall to become silent. Thalia released me and we both brought our attention to the front of the hall, where Dumbledore stood, ready to make an announcement.

"Good evening, students!" Dumbledore said, the ever-present twinkle still in his eyes. "Now, I'd like to inform you all that there will be an upcoming dance. It will be held in 1 month. Hogsmeade trips will be scheduled to allow you to shop for clothes. It will be a masquerade ball."

Thalia and I quickly shared excited looks. A dance! We haven't had one in so long!

"Lils, you know what this means," Thalia smirked, a mischievous glint in her eyes. I was suddenly a bit afraid. Only Merlin knows what Thalia was plotting.

"Whatever it is, Merlin grant I make it out of this alive."


	26. And the Truth is Out Almost

Chapter 26 – Sirius P.O.V.

James still wasn't the same, but he was better. Remus somehow managed to cheer him up a bit, and he was almost to his normal self. _Almost._ He would laugh and smile and talk to others, but we could see the little things – his smile never reached his eyes anymore, and the happy twinkle in his hazel eyes disappeared.

"Prongs, Moony! Are you ready?" I yelled up the staircase leading to our dormitory. I had been waiting in the common room for about five minutes. We were about to go to Hogsmeade to shop for clothes to wear to the upcoming dance.

"Calm yourself, Pads!" Remus' irritated voice called down the stairs. "It's not my fault you don't people to impress!"

James and Remus walked down the staircase, dressed and ready to go. I smirked when I saw the irritated expression on Remus' face.

"Oh? And _you_ have someone to impress then, I'm assuming," I teased. I laughed when I saw Remus cheeks redden.

"S'nothin," Remus mumbled, looking anywhere but at me. James and I chuckled.

"Well c'mon! The girls are waiting for us already," James called over his shoulder as he made his way over to the portrait hole.

Remus snickered, "Looks like someone is pretty eager to see Lily." James stumbled a bit as he stepped out of the common room, fueling my and Remus' laughter.

James threw us faux angry glares. "You two are gits," he muttered, but I could see a hint of a smile in the corner of his mouth. I was just glad he wasn't actually angry.

Remus and I had been acting different around James ever since his confession. We didn't want to say something wrong and have it upset him in any way. James still hasn't gotten over it, but he's now comfortable admitting his feelings for Lily. Remus and I have actually teased him a couple times, and at first James would tense, but now he laughs it off. However, if you looked closely, you could see in his eyes that the pain in his eyes never left.

We met the girls in the Entrance Hall. We watched as they said good bye to Aislinn, who skipped away to join her brothers. Apparently, they were going shopping as a family. Niall glanced over at us and I met it with a harsh glare, to which he immediately looked away.

"Hi!" Lily sang, skipping up to us. She quickly pecked me on the cheek and hugged James and Remus. I quirked an eyebrow at her cheerfulness.

"Any reason you're so happy this morning?" I asked.

Lily shared a knowing look with Alice and Thalia and turned back to me, with a faux look of innocence and confusion.

"Nope, no reason. Just happen to be in a happy mood," she replied.

I didn't buy it for a second.

The girls definitely knew something we boys did not.

And I didn't like it.

Not one bit.

* * *

Lily P.O.V. - Earlier that day

"Thalia, I know what I have to do," I stated, as I got changed.

Thalia paused and turned to look at me. "Lils, what are you talking about?"

I sighed. "I have to tell Niall I just can't do this, I can't go out with him anymore. I mean, I know now what I really want."

Alice stopped what she was doing and turned to look at us. We had filled her on in what happened, and she fully believes I have feelings for James.

It's time to tell them they're right.

"And what is it that you want, Lils?" Alice asked, hope shining in her eyes. Lia and Alice looked at me eagerly.

"James, I need him."


	27. Thalia and Alice Plot, and We Get Busted

Chapter 27 – Lily P.O.V.

After I admitted to Thalia and Alice that I indeed have feelings for James, I let out a huge sigh. A weight had been lifted off my shoulders, a weight that I hadn't realized was there.

A few moments passed, and then...

"AHHHHHHHHH! WE KNEW IT! WE KNEW IT!" Thalia and Alice suddenly jumped up and grabbed me in a tight, restricting hug. My arms flailed about as I tried to break free from their grasp.

"Guys! C-cant- bre-breath," I panted.

They giggled and finally released me, allowing me to take a huge gasp of air.

I gave them a small smile, "You knew?"

Thalia gave me a look that plainly said 'duh'. "Of course, Lils! I mean, why else would you have felt the way you did with Niall? That boy is _scrumptious_ and the only way you couldn't be absolutely delighted to date him is.. if you were really in love with Jame," she explained.

My eyes widened at the word 'love', but I didn't say anything. However, I could feel the blood rushing up to my face, coloring my cheeks with a bright red. Thalia and Alice giggled at that.

They shared a look for a minute, silently having a conversation. I was suddenly a bit scared. Whenever they did that, it meant they were coming up with some sort of plan. Then they turned toward me, with smirks on their faces.

"C'mon, let's go meet Sirius, Remus and your _lover_ so we can go to Hogsmeade."

* * *

Now with the boys – Sirius P.O.V.

"It's been forever since I had a Butterbeer, can we stop by the Three Broomsticks?" Thalia asked innocently.

A little too innocently.

Lily looked at her curiously, while Alice, too, had an innocent look on her face. Obviously, this was another one of Thalia and Alice's little plans. And they had left Lily out of it.

A lightbulb went off in my head.

The plan had something to do _with_ Lily. That's why they didn't let her in on it at all.

I smirked. _This is going to be interesting_, I thought to myself.

"Okay, sure, that sounds good," Remus said. And a few minutes later, we found ourselves in the three Broomsticks.

"Thalia and I will get the drinks today. Sirius, Remus, why don't you come help us carry everything over," Alice suggested. I quirked an eyebrow, and watched as Remus did the same, but we didn't comment on it.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Lily's eyes open with realization. She flushed a bright red.

Thalia and Alice practically dragged us away from James and Lily, and instead of heading to the bar to get the drinks, they ushered us behind a wall a couple feet away from where we left the two. When Remus began questioning them, Thalia immediately shushed him.

"Zip it! I want to be able to hear them!" Thalia hissed.

"Okay what is going on?" I finally asked.

Alice and Thalia sighed in unison. Okay must they _really_ do everything at the same time...

"Lily admitted to us that she has feelings for James. And this morning she dumped Niall. So now we're letting destiny take over and get them together."

Remus seemed to take this all very well. "Well about bloody time she figured out she likes him, I was getting impatient waiting for this," he muttered. "And first, good thing she ended things with Niall. He's a nice bloke and all, but not meant for her. Second, it's not _destiny_ taking over if you've planned this all out and bloody dragged us away from them."

Thalia rolled her eyes and waved her hand at Remus. "Oh please, it's destiny because we know they're meant for each other. Doesn't matter what happens now."

Her words finally sunk in.

"SHE LI-" I began yelling, but Alice quickly stuffed a dinner roll, which she got from _who knows_ where, into my mouth.

"Shush! They might be able to hear us!"

"Hmm, it seems _they_ have heard everything," a deep male voice said from behind us.

In all of our conversing and bickering, we had stopped watching Lily and James. We slowly turned around to face none other than the said boy and girl, both of whom were looking at us with their arms crossed and an eyebrow quirked.

I could only say one thing.

"Uh oh."

* * *

**Hi lovely readers! Well I'm back, baby! Haha well right now it's summer, and I have a lot of free time to do nothing, so we all know what that means... updates! Yes, I will be updating more, so keep an eye out for more chapters! I'm looking to finish this story by the end of the summer. Leave me a review and tell me what you think of the story now. **


	28. My Best Mate and My Sister

Chapter 28 – Sirius P.O.V.

I gulped when I realized James and Lily were right behind us. _How much had they heard?_

"Uh, hehe, hi Bambi, Prongs," Remus said awkwardly, rubbing his neck in a nervous manner.

"Fancy seeing you two here," Thalia mumbled. _Seriously Thalia,_ I thought to myself, _we came here with them!_

"So, uh, how much did you hear?" Alice asked hesitantly.

"The important stuff," James replied.

I instantly pale. This wasn't good.

"So that means you heard, um, about Lily, and-" I said, but James cut me off.

He smirked. "Oh I heard _all_ about that." Lily blushed.

* * *

_Earlier that day – Lily P.O.V._

_I knew I had to break up with Niall before I could really do anything about my feelings for James. After all, that was the only right way to do things. Even though I jumped into the relationship, I was not going to sneak out of it by cheating on Niall. I wasn't that kind of person._

_I walked out of the girls' dorm and down the stairs. Close to the bottom of the stairs, where the two staircases met, I bumped into someone. It was Niall._

"_Oof! Oh! Lily," Niall chuckled. "Deja vu much?"_

_I laughed, but it was a bit forced. The last time we had bumped into each other like this was when he asked me out. It was almost a cruel coincidence that the second time it happened, I was on the way to break up with him._

"_Yeah.. Look, Niall, I need to talk to you," I said, getting right to the point. I don't think making small talk would make this any easier for either of us._

"_You want to break up."_

_My head snapped up and my eyes widened. "Wh-what?"_

_Niall looked confused. "That's it, isn't it? I'm not mistaken, right?"_

"_You're right! Oh Merlin, that sounded rude. I'm sorry!" I spluttered, tripping over my words._

_He laughed. "Lily, it's alright. I totally understand. You like someone else."_

_I blushed. "I don't know how you know all of this, but you're right."_

"_I could see the way you look at him, that James fellow," he chuckled. "And trust me, it's okay, no hard feelings. I know I jumped into things."_

_I laughed, suddenly feeling loads better. "Oh wow, Niall thank you so much for understanding. But really? You could tell?"_

"_Lily, I think all of your friends could tell. It seems you were the only one out of the loop."_

_I gave him a polite smile and bid him goodbye, but his words never left my mind._

It seems you were the only one out of the loop.

_I shook my head at the truth in his words. He was right, once more. It seems all of my friends had known of my feelings for James, everyone, besides me. I had been lying to myself._

* * *

_In the Three Broomsticks – Lily P.O.V._

_When Thalia and Alice said they were going to get the drinks, and that they were taking Rem and Siri with them, I knew exactly what they were doing. They were trying to get me alone with James, so that I would be forced to confess my feelings for him. _

_They quickly walked away, but I kept my eye on them. I saw as they made a right turn right before the got to the bar, and hid themselves behind a wall. I shook my head fondly._

"_What is it?" James asked me. I smiled slightly._

"_It seems our friends are trying to pull something on us," I said cryptically. James looked confused still, but didn't comment on it._

_I stood up and grabbed his hand. His eyes widened for a second before they turned to look up at me. "Cmon Jay," I said._

_I saw a small appear on his face at the sound of his nickname, the one only I used for him. I flushed and smiled._

_I led him the way our friends had disappeared – went towards the bar, made a right. They didn't notice us for they were too busy talking to each other._

_I heard Thalia's voice,"Lily admitted to us that she has feelings for James. And this morning she dumped Niall."_

_I chuckled and then froze when I realized James had also heard. I slowly turned to face him, scared of what I was about to see._

_James was still listening to them, but with a huge grin on his face. His eyes, which had been dull for the past couple of days, were now twinkling. His cheeks had a happy rosy glow and I could practically feel the warmth radiating from him. The sight brought a smile to my face; I loved seeing him so happy._

"_Is it true?" James asked me, stepping closer to me. I looked up at him shyly and nodded. I opened my mouth to say something else, but the sound of my idiotic brother yelling caught my attention._

"_SHE LI-" Sirius yelled. I saw Alice stuff something into his mouth. A piece of bread?_

"_Shush! They might be able to hear us!"_

"_Hmm, it seems they have heard everything," James said smoothly, causing the others to look back at us in surprise._

_Sirius suddenly looked frightened._

"_Uh oh."_

* * *

Sirius P.O.V.

"So, um, what happens now?" James turned to Lily, suddenly very shy.

She giggled. "Well, what do you want to happen now?" she replied, biting her lip.

I groaned quietly. I don't care that it's James, but does my little sister _really_ have to flirt with someone in front of me?

Remus sensed what I was thinking and elbowed me in the side, erasing all thoughts of breaking up their moment. I sent him a glare but stayed quiet.

James stepped forward and gently took Lily's hands in his. "Well, I'd love it if you'd go out with me," he smirked, at which Lily blushed. Confident, happy James was back.

"Lily Evans, would you do me the honor of being my girlfriend?"

"Yes, James Potter, I'd love to."

"Aw bloody hell, my best mate is dating my sister." I groaned.

* * *

**Well there you go! James and Lily are officially together. Leave me a review on what you think after all the recent events**


	29. Sirius Words, Predictions and Promises

Chapter 29 – Lily P.O.V.

I couldn't stop smiling. I was now officially James Potter's girlfriend.

I, Lily Marie Evans am dating James Daniel Potter.

"Lily! Cmon we have to finish shopping for dresses! The boys are already back at the castle," Alice shouted at me.

I shook myself back to reality. "Alright alright! I'm almost done changing!"

Thalia, Alice and I were shopping for dresses for the upcoming masquerade ball. Alice and Thalia had already gotten their dresses and masks, and had said that they already owned matching shoes. Now they were just waiting for me to pick one.

Thalia had picked a beautiful forest green, floor length dress. It was a spaghetti strap dress and had a sweetheart neckline. A bejeweled sash pinched in at the waist, and from there the material flowed down to her toes. She had picked a matching dark green mask which covered from right above her eyebrows to about an inch below her eyes. The color brought out the color of her eyes and made them pop.

Alice had chosen a dark purple dress. It was a halter neck. The bodice was fitting and stopped at the waist, where it gently flowed down to the middle of her calves. Alice chose a black mask with a dark purple feather on the side. Like Thalia's, it covered about half of her face.

With a flick of my wand, the zip on the back of my dress zipped up. I looked in the mirror of the dressing room and smiled at my reflection. This was it – the perfect dress.

"Lily! Come out and show us!" Thalia called.

I stepped out and heard Alice and Thalia gasp. Soon, smiles broke out on their faces and they nodded tearfully. "Oh Lils you look beautiful!" they cried out in unison.

I was wearing a light gray-silver dress. It was strapless. The bodice had swirling sparkling patterns, which ended at the hips from where the dress flowed down to the floor. I spun around and giggled as the material swishes around my ankles. It felt like the waves at the beach lapping at my feet. The matching silver mask on my face, like the other girls', covered about half of my face. Although both the dress and mask contained no green whatsoever, they managed to make my green eyes appear more vibrant. I was in love with this dress.

"It's perfect!" I squealed, a grin spreading across my face.

I skipped into the dressing room to change back into my clothes. I quickly paid for the dress, and had it packaged securely, and then we were off.

"James Potter, you are one lucky man," Thalia and Alice said, slinging their arms over my shoulders as we walked back to Hogwarts.

* * *

Sirius P.O.V.

While we waited for the girls to return from their shopping trip, Remus, James and I hung out in the common room. It was quiet, being the only ones in the room, but it was a comfortable silence. It had been a while since we three boys could just relax without the air around us feeling tense. Now that James had finally gotten Lily, things were happy.

Speaking of James and Lily..

"Prongs? Mate?" I called, breaking the silence. He looked over at me from the armchair he was sitting on.

"Yeah, Padfoot?" he replied, sitting up a bit straighter.

"You'll take care of her, right? You won't hurt her?" I asked in a small voice.

James looked a bit surprised when he heard the tone I had spoken in. Remus started tuning into the conversation as well.

I sounded so small and scared because I was just that – scared. Before, when I had to deal with Lily and boys, I didn't have to be so worried because I knew it wasn't serious. I just had to ward off any jerks who I knew didn't care for Lily in the way they should. But now, it was James. Not only is he my best mate, but he's been one of Lily's best friend for years. If he hurt her, it would be more than just some break up. It would be almost like a death.

Lily was growing up, I won't always be there to protect her from boys. It's time I start to put a little trust in the boy she chooses to be with.

James sighed. "Sirius, I don't think I'd be able to make myself hurt her. She means too much to me now, and I don't see that changing."

"James mate, I trust you. And I'm trusting you to care for her when I can't. I may be her brother, but I won't always be able to protect her. You know how much she means to me."

"And Pads, you know how much she means to me. I'll protect her, I'll care for her, I'll be whatever she needs me to be and I'll do whatever she wants. You have my word."

I smiled. That was just what I needed to hear.

* * *

Remus P.O.V.

When James and Sirius finished their serious conversation, it became quiet once again. This gave me a chance to really think.

Now that Lily and James were together, I think we were all going to get a lot closer. And that's saying something, because we were already all very close. But I don't know why I think that, it's just this feeling I get.

The others like to joke that I'm psychic, and I guess it's a sort of true. Whatever I say will happen, happens. The others always trust my instincts, because they have yet to be wrong.

And my "instincts" tell me that our remaining single friends, Thalia and Sirius, are going to find themselves a boyfriend and girlfriend respectively. I don't know who yet, but I know they will.

Now I know I know, I liked Thalia. But that was a while ago. I realized since then, that we just weren't meant to be. We were just too different to be together romantically; we were better off as friends. Although we haven't said anything to each other, I think she believes the same thing.

Don't get me wrong, I want a girlfriend! I've seen how happy Alice and Frank are together, and now Lily and James are as well. I tried making myself look a bit more presentable this morning when we went into Hogsmeade because I wanted to see if a girl would talk to me. No girls approached me.. but I won't give up.

I will not live the rest of my life alone, I promise you that.

I, Remus John Lupin, am going to find myself a girlfriend.


	30. One Eventful Masquerade Ball

Chapter 30 – Lily P.O.V.

Tonight was the night of the dance. Not only was this the first dance we've had in a long time, but it's also the first occasion where I'll be going as James' girlfriend... and I'm bloody nervous.

James, Sirius and Remus are honestly very attractive, which means the majority of the female student population is in love with at least one of them. I'm not scared of them per se, I'm sure I could take them on if need be. I'm scared that James will realize one of them is better than me.

I know I haven't been sure of my feelings as long as James has been, but now that I am, these feelings are very strong. The combination of my long, strong friendship and my new-found romantic feelings for James is rather dangerous. If something happened to us... it would tear me apart for sure.

"Lily, the boys are waiting in the common room." Thalia's voice brought me back to reality.

"I'm ready," I replied. I smiled when I realized James was waiting at the bottom of the staircase.

Alice, Thalia and I made our way down the stairs, fully dressed with our dresses, masks, and hair and makeup done.

We arrived in the common room to see four handsome boys all dressed up.

Remus was wearing black dress pants, a pale blue button down shirt, and a black tie. He left the top button undone and loosed his tie. He looked nice but not too overly formal. It worked for Remus. He held a blue mask, which he was going to put on later.

Sirius was dressed in black dress pants, a black button down shirt, and white tie. Like Remus, his tie was a bit loose and the first button was left undone. He had a white mask on. I chuckled at his attire, it was almost a metaphor or something along those lines. He was dressed in mostly black, standing for him originally being Sirius _Black_, but the white tie was its blatant opposite – the Evans family. I'm not sure if Sirius planned it that way, but being the observant little bookworm I am, I mentally took note of it.

James and Frank seemed to have planned their outfits to coordinate mine and Alice's. Alice and I shared impressed looks, since we had not told them to do so.

James was dressed in black dress pants, a white button down shirt, a black vest and dark gray tie. The vest was buttoned over his white shirt. His sleeves were rolled back a bit to expose his arm until just before his elbow. James' top button and tie were like Sirius and Remus' – undone and loose respectively. He had a dark gray mask on. I smiled as I saw that the color made his hazel eyes pop, and they were currently a mixture of warm brown, gold and green. His unruly black locks were still messy, but he would not be James if they weren't.

Frank was dressed almost identically to James, with minor differences. Instead of a dark gray tie, Frank wore a purple one to match Alice's dress. However, unlike the other boys, he had buttoned his top button and his tie knot was right at his collar. He wore a dark purple mask. I smiled, I knew Alice was perfectly content with all of that.

Thalia whistled teasingly. "You guys clean up well."

They chuckled. Frank stepped forward and placed his arms gently around Alice's waist. "You look beautiful, Alice," he whispered, softly kissing her on the cheek. I smiled as I watched Ali giggle and blush. Those two were absolutely precious.

James walked up to me and smiled nervously. I blushed. He looked absolutely adorable when he was shy and nervous. "Lils you look amazing," he told me.

"Thank you, James, you look very dashing all dressed up," I winked and stood on my toes to kiss him on the cheek. His eyes widened slightly and he blushed, but looked happy. I giggled.

"Well, shall we?" Thalia asked, gesturing towards the portrait hole. We all nodded and Alice and I linked arms with our boyfriends, exiting the common room, while Thalia, Remus and Sirius followed behind us.

In a matter of minutes, we arrived at the Great Hall to find it fully decorated. While Dumbledore had explained that it was a masquerade ball, there wasn't a precise theme.

Instead of the usual four house tables, there was a large dance floor. Along the sides of the room, and the front and back of the hall were round tables with chairs. The enchanted ceiling reflected the night sky, and I gazed at it in awe as I watched a star shoot across it. Ribbons were strewn across the banisters and walls, however I couldn't pinpoint what color they were. They shimmered, but whenever I would try to concentrate on what color they were, they would change. All in all, it was a very Hogwarts type of dance – magical.

The hall was already filled with students. From where I stood, I could see dresses of all colors and a multitude of different masks. There were people on the dance floor, moving to the music of some wizard world band. Others sat at tables with their friends and dates, drinking refreshments.

A couple moments after entering, the music changed. It transitioned from a lively song to a slower, calmer one. I watched the male population offer their hands to the females, asking them to dance.

James turned to me. "Lils, would you like to dance?" he asked, holding his hand out to me.

With a smile, I took it. "Of course, I would love to," I replied.

James grinned and led me onto the dance floor, stopping somewhere in the middle. He slipped his hands around my waist and rested them on the small of my back. I reached up and placed my arms on his shoulders, my hands locked behind his neck.

"You know," he said, starting the conversation. "I still can't believe you said yes."

Although he didn't specify, I knew he what he was talking about. He wasn't referring to the offer to dance, he was talking about us getting together.

"Honestly James, I'm not. I'm not surprised I said yes, but I am surprised I have these feelings for you," I said.

His eyes dropped a bit and I felt his shoulders slump. "Oh," he said.

I started to panic. "Oh no! No! I meant, before this year, I obviously didn't know any of this was going to happen. But now that it has... I've never been happier."

The smile that broke out on James' face filled my stomach with butterflies. He looked so adorably giddy. His eyes were bright, shining with happiness. I could see so many colors in his hazel orbs, it was almost as if the rainbow itself was looking back at me.

How had this boy come to capture my heart like this?

* * *

Thalia P.O.V.

Soon after James had brought Lily onto the dance floor, Frank had led Alice away as well. Sirius, Remus and I made our way over to an empty table. We sat down, and I frowned when I realized I could no longer see Lily and James.

Sitting in my seat, I tried stretching my neck, craning to see over the crowd. I tried shifting around, but the two were lost in the swarm of people. With Hogwarts full of tall boys and most of these girls wearing ridiculously high heels, I couldn't see over people.

I pouted, causing Sirius and Remus to look at me curiously. "I can't see Lils and James," I mumbled.

Seemingly from out of nowhere, Declan appeared next to me. "Thalia, wanna dance?" He asked, smirking at me.

I cast a glance at Sirius and Remus, who were scrutinizing Declan with their eyes. "Okay," I said shyly, standing up.

He led me to a spot a few feet away from the edge of the dance floor. I sighed when I realized that I still could not see my best friend and her boyfriend. I wanted to see how things were going so far. I knew Lily was very nervous for this, and I wanted to make sure things were going well (they probably were anyway).

The entire time I danced with Declan, that smirk never left his face. After approximately twenty seconds, it began to strongly irritate me. After about a minute, I was _this close_ to slapping it off that pretty face of his.

The boy was good looking, actually, correction – he was _very_ good looking. However, he was also exceedingly obnoxious, conceited.. and just plain annoying. He just kept talking about myself. He wouldn't even give me a chance to respond! I had to bloody hand it to him, he was very charming though. I guess that's the reason why I was immediately attracted to him upon first meeting him. His personality just made it impossible for me to want to willingly spend time with him.

When the song was over, I forced out a polite smile and headed back to my table. I think somehow, he got the message through that thick skill of his. He shrugged and sauntered over to none other than Callista Goodwin, who giggled (which to me, sounded like a cackle) and blushed. I rolled my eyes.

Another slow song began playing. Sirius stood up, also trying to look his for Lily and James. He huffed in annoyance when he couldn't spot them. He turned to me and held out his hand. I raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"Thalia, would you like to dance?" he asked.

I hesitantly took it. "Um, sure?"

We walked away from Remus, who seemed fine being left alone at the table. I felt a twinge of guilt when I realized he had no one to talk to now. Remus, seeming to know what I was thinking, winked at me and gave me a reassuring smile.

Sirius made his way towards the center of the dance floor, close to where Lily and James were. He stopped a couple feet away from them. They hadn't noticed us.

My eyes widened slightly. "Ohh, so that was your plan? Get close to them so we could watch?"

He grinned sheepishly. "Well, I had to find some way to keep an eye on my baby sister and her boyfriend," he said. His nose scrunched up a bit. "Merlin, I'm still not used to that. In my mind, Lily will never have a boyfriend."

I laughed. "Oh cmon Sirius, you had to know Lils was going to grow up eventually."

"I know, I know, and I was preparing myself for that. But I wasn't ready for James' love confession. I never saw that coming, and I don't think anyone else did. Heck, even psychic _Moony_ didn't predict that!"

I couldn't help but smile at Sirius. I found it rather admirable how much he cared for Lily, who wasn't even blood related to him. That just showed how little most people knew about Sirius. To most, he seemed to be this charming prankster, talented Quidditch player, and heartthrob. But at this moment, I saw more to him that I ever had before, even after all these years of friendship. Sirius really was one special guy.

I nodded. "I see. Don't worry though, you're not the only one who is surprised at how quickly Lily is growing up. I mean, I remember first meeting her in first year. She was so sweet, a bit shy, but she quickly outgrew that. Look at her now – she has grown up to be one wonderful, unique individual."

At that moment, Sirius and I both looked at James and Lily. Lily had her arms around James neck and was staring happily into his eyes. James had his hands on her back... and he looked like the happiest man in the world. The way he looked told me that if the world froze and time stopped, he wouldn't notice. He'd be perfectly content to spend years in that exact position. I sighed dreamily at the sight.

Next thing we knew, Lily and James' lips were on each others.

"Oh my Merlin, they kissed!" I squealed, suddenly ecstatic.

In the moment of sudden excitement, I practically pounced on Sirius, throwing my arms around his neck and engulfing him in a tight hug. Realizing what I had done, I slowly pulled back, but left my hands hooked behind his neck.

Sirius' gray eyes stared at me. I couldn't read his emotions. His eyes seemed to be searching mine. One of his hands cupped my cheek and pulled my face closer to his. I gently brought him closer to me. Our lips met, and my mind practically went blank. The feeling of his soft lips on mine sent tingles up my spine. A warm sensation spread throughout my body, blanketing me in feelings of safety and comfort.

We both pulled back and stared at each other. We could only say one thing –

"Bloody hell."

* * *

Remus P.O.V.

I watched my friends from a distance. Lily and James looked as happy as could be, and I genuinely was happy for them. If anyone deserved true love, it was them. I've never met such caring, accepting, understanding, selfless people as James and Lily.

I smiled when I saw Thalia and Sirius share a kiss. I no longer had any feelings for Thalia which weren't friendly. I knew we were truly meant to be friends, and I was perfectly content with that. I was glad that Sirius and Thalia were getting together (or at least, I was assuming that's what was going to happen).

A girl who looked to be about eleven or twelve years old skipped up to my table. I greeted her with a smile. I recognized her as Nymphadora Tonks, Hufflepluff first year and Sirius' cousin. Although I had never actually spoken to her, I knew she was close to Sirius as well as Lily.

"Hello there," I said, flashing her a friendly smile.

She flushed slightly. "Hi, I'm Tonks," she introduced herself cheerfully, extending a hand out to me, which I shook.

"Hello Tonks, I'm Remus. Isn't your first name Nymphadora?" I asked, curious as to why she had introduced herself that way.

"Shh! I don't want people hearing that! I detest the name Nymphadora, I go by Tonks," she explained. I smirked slightly when I saw her nose scrunch up a bit when she said 'Nymphadora'.

I chuckled. "Ah I see," I replied. "Hmm, I like your hair. Oddly, the color pink really works for you."

She grinned. "Thanks! It's my favorite color, though sometimes I switch it to purple or even blonde, when I'm in the mood."

"Wait, what do you mean you 'switch it'?" I asked. Now I was lost.

She giggled and instead of verbally answering my question, she demonstrated. She closed her eyes and when she opened them, her hair, which had previously been short and bright pink, was now long, curly and a vibrant purple color. Also her eyes, which were at first a warm chocolate brown, were light blue. She closed her eyes and opened them again, and her hair and eyes changed back.

"Y-you're a-"

"A metamorphmagus? Yes. I detest that word as well, just because I think it's far too complicated to say sometimes. I just like to say I'm special," she said, shrugging.

I nodded appreciatively. "I really like your attitude about that." _If only people could look at my lycanthropy in the same way.._

"Well it's not like it affects who I really am. It just means I can do things that most other people can't do as easily. I'm still me. No need to use a big word and make it sound like some disease. Like my dad liked saying 'Metamorphmagi are born, not made.' We're still people. Not that I think being turned into something is a bad thing. I just think it is ridiculous to act as if we're still not humans."

I smiled. This girl really does have a good perspective on things. Even though I hadn't said a word about my being a werewolf, her attitude reassured me that she would be one of the few who would definitely accept me.

She grinned. "Well, I should be going now. It was nice talking to you, Remus."

She skipped away, almost tripping in the process. I chuckled at her apparent clumsiness.

I smiled. For the first time in a while, I had truly felt comfortable being myself around people other than my friends. I could get used to this.

* * *

**This will probably be the second to last chapter. I am planning on ending the story with the next chapter, which I had finished before starting this one. Or maybe I won't.. I have ideas for a possible alternative ending chapter, which would mean that you could expect two more chapters. Let me know what you think of this chapter and the entire story! Review!**


	31. Dear Mum and Dad

Chapter 31 - James P.O.V.

I smiled as I looked down to see my beautiful girlfriend, sleeping, her head resting on my lap. Her long auburn hair fanned around her head, and her face was calm in sleep. I looked around at my friends, all of whom were also asleep on the various couches and chairs in the common room. It was about midnight, and in approximately one week, we would all be heading home for the summer holidays.

Lifting Lily's head gently, I got up and placed a pillow where I previously was. Lily continued sleeping peacefully. I walked over to one of the desks and grabbed a piece of paper and a quill. I decided I was going to write to my mum and dad.

* * *

_Hi Mum and Dad,_

_I'm sorry I haven't written in a while, things have ben pretty crazy these past couple of weeks. I'm sure you understand, schoolwork and Quidditch have all but taken over my life. But alas, no worries! You shall be graced with my presence once more in just a mere week! Aren't you ecstatic? Mum, don't roll your eyes at me like that. Oh yes, I can tell. Just because I'm not there with you doesn't mean I don't know._

_Anyway, I thought I'd write to update you two on some things. After all, I'm sure you wouldn't appreciate being left out of the loop. I know how you two are like teenagers, always wanting to be in on the gossip. Curiosity killed the cat, you know. Don't ask... it's a muggle saying, according to Lily._

_Dad, I know you'll want some news about Quidditch. First and foremost, yes I am still captain next year. They haven't sacked me, as a matter of fact, they love me! (Just don't ask any of the other team members for their opinions on that) Unfortunately, Gideon Prewett and Adrian Matthews are graduating this year, so I'll have to hold tryouts at the beginning of next year to replace them. Sirius is actually a bit excited about finding a new partner. He was on good terms with Matthews until he found out he had a major crush on Lily. And we all know how Sirius gets when it comes to his little sister. Speaking of whom, Lily said she had to think about whether or not she will be staying on the Quidditch team. She's an amazing Chaser, one of the best I've ever seen. She's really helped our team this year. I mean, c'mon! She scored the majority of the goals that won us the Quidditch cup this year for Gryffindor!_

_Mum, I'm sure you'll want to know about academic stuff. Well..._

_I PASSED MY OWLS WITH FLYING COLORS!_

_I got O's in everything except for Divination (which is a bloody useless subject anyway). I got an E in Divination. How did I manage that, you may ask. It was easy. I just "predicted" that I would suffer an untimely death at a young age and somehow play a part in saving the wizarding world. Professor was blown away._

_Now onto more interesting stuff.._

_Alice and Frank are great, still dating and as in love as they have always been. Honestly, despite Alice still being fifteen years old, I'm surprised Frank hasn't popped the question yet. We all know they're going to get married. I've seen Alice doodle "Mrs. Alice Longbottom" on her work about a million time. I bet he's going to propose when she graduates in two years. That would be a very Frank thing to do. And I'm sure Alice would say yes without hesitation. That would be a very Alice thing to do. I don't think anyone ever doubted their feelings for each other. They've fancied each other since, what.. Alice's first year? A bloody long time, if you ask me._

_Are you ready for this? Ok here's the plot twist: You know how we always thought Remus and Thalia were going to get together? Well, turns out we were wrong. Sirius and Thalia are now in a relationship. Yes, you heard/read that correctly. Sirius Orion Evans and Thalia Brielle Jones are not dating each other. Turns out, that phase of flirting between Remus and Thalia was just that - a phase. Sirius and Thalia seem very happy together, and while we're all still in shock, we're definitely very happy for them. They're both eccentric and energetic, which means they understand each other perfectly. Actually, it seems that being together has caused them to calm down a bit, something which we're all happy about. Just don't tell Sirius I said that. He would pout and give me the silent treatment for a month or something._

_Now, Remus. He seems to be perfectly happy being by himself at the moment. I have an inkling that he's not totally alone though. I think he's crushing on a girl, and he either hasn't realized it yet, or just hasn't told us. But Remus being Remus, I think it's the former. Remus is totally into someone, he just hasn't admitted it to himself. That definitely seems like something Remus would do. Merlin, we need to get that boy a girlfriend. I am really curious as to who he is crushing on... Oh well, we'll find out soon enough. _

_As for me, you may ask. Mum, Dad, I am the happiest man on earth right now. Not only do I have the most amazing friends, but I finally got the girl. After a year of trying to hide my feelings, along with some other drama, Lily and I are together. And I couldn't be any happier. I've always felt unbelievably comfortable around Lily, but now, it's like she completes me. She always knows just what to say and what to do, she's always there for me, she's the cleverest witch of our age, she has a fantastic sense of humor and a heart of gold. I know I am only a teenager, but I know this is the girl who I will spend the rest of my life with. I never imagined that the one for me would be Lily, but now that I know it is, I'm never going back. She's the woman I will marry, move to Godric's Hollow with, and live happily ever after with. I've found her. Dad, you can tease me all you want, and Mum, please don't cry. I know you, and you're probably sobbing tears of joy at the moment. Please stop. But really, Lily is amazing. Words can't fully describe how I feel._

_I can't believe I'm saying it, but..._

_I am in love with my best mate's sister._

* * *

**Hi all! Ok well I could leave this as the last chapter, or I could add one more. I already have the possible last chapter planned out, so just let me know if you would rather have one more. Review!**


	32. Mischief Managed

**I solemnly swear I am up to no good.**

* * *

Chapter 32 - James P.O.V.

I couldn't believe today was the day. Today, we were graduating from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It has been seven years since we first started attending the school. Seven years since we all met and became friends. So much has happened since then that it's hard to digest that we're finally leaving.

On September 1st, seven years ago, I met my best mate, Sirius Black, on Platform 9 3/4. I had also met my amazing girlfriend, Lily, at the same time. I remember that day like it was yesterday...

* * *

_"Mum!" I cried, attempting to pull away from my emotional mother. "Mum! I have to gooo! If you don't let go of me now, I'll never make it to school!"_

_"I'm sorry, Jamie! It's just- I can't believe my baby boy is going to H-Hogwarts already!" my mum, Emmeline Potter, wailed, hugging me tighter. I huffed. I hated when my mum called me Jamie. I'm not a girl, my name is _James.

_My dad, Charles Potter, chuckled when he saw my irritated expression. "C'mon Em, don't choke the boy to death before he can even get to school."_

_"Alright alright, I can tell when my own family is against me," my mum muttered, releasing me. I dramatically took in a large breath, smirking at my mother's annoyed look._

_"Don't worry, I'll owl you soon!" I said hurriedly as I quickly pecked my mum on the cheek and hugged my dad. I then walked away backwards, waving to them one last time._

_I probably should've been watching where I was going._

_"Oof!"_

_I turned around to see that I had just knocked over a boy, who looked to be my age. He was taller than me, then again, everyone was taller than me. He had dark brown, almost black wavy hair. His gray eyes were shining, like pools of molten metal. I flushed a light red out of embarrassment._

_"Oh Merlin, I'm sorry mate!" I held out a hand to the boy, which he took thankfully and pulled himself off the platform floor._

_"No harm, no foul," he said, shaking himself off. He smirked at my confused expression._

_"What?" I asked. I'd never heard that saying before._

_"It's a muggle expression," he explained._

_"Oh, are you muggleborn?"_

_He shook his head. "Nope, actually I'm rather far from it, but my best friend is. Practically my sibling. Oh, there she is!"_

_He pointed in the direction behind me. I turned to see a petite girl skipping toward us. I was delighted to see that she wasn't taller than me, she was actually a bit shorter. She had long, bright red hair down to her waist and the most vibrant green eyes I had ever seen. For a moment, I couldn't look away._

_"Sirius! Rose and dad were looking for you!" the girl said, faking anger. I smiled slightly. She had a pleasant voice. It was high, but not shrill. Actually, it was rather melodic._

_Sirius chuckled. "Sorry Lils, I was busy running into a new friend," he said, nudging me in the side._

_I ran a hand through my hair nervously. Why was I nervous? This didn't usually happen._

_"Hi, I'm James Potter," I introduced myself, holding my hand out._

_She smiled (she had a really pretty smile) and shook my hand. "Nice to meet you, I'm Lily Evans. And this bloke right here is Sirius Black, I'd watch out for him," she said in a teasing manner._

_"Hey! I resent that!" Sirius cried out, glaring at her playfully. She giggled._

_Without any warning, he ran at her and picked her up, throwing her over his shoulder with surprising strength for an eleven year old boy. She squealed and pounded her small fists on his back. "Sirius Orion Black, you let me go this instant!" she yelled through peals of laughter._

_I should've felt out of place watching the two's exchange, but I surprisingly didn't. Although the two already obviously had a strong bond, they made me feel welcome at once. I had found my first friends at Hogwarts before I even stepped onto the train._

* * *

I grinned at the memory. At the moment, I couldn't help but be grateful for the wonderful moment of clumsiness. If it wasn't for that, I'm not sure I would've became friends with my best mate and his sister that year.

Speaking of my best mate and my girlfriend..

"James, are you ready yet? We need to head down to the Great Hall _now,_" Lily said, walking into my room. Sirius followed in after her, while the others stayed down in the common room of the Heads' dorm.

"Yeah, Lils, I'm all set," I replied, tucking my wand into my black dress robes.

I looked at Sirius, who was dressed identically to me. All the boys were supposed to wear black dress robes with white shirts and black pants. The girls, on the other hand, were to wear dresses and then black robes, which resembled open muggle graduation robes.

Lily was wearing a dark blue strapless dress which ended a couple inches above her knees. There was a bejeweled sash that was tied around her waist. Her beautiful red hair was tied up in an elegant knot, with a few tendrils curled and hanging loose. Her robes were hung over her arm, since she was going to put them on later. She looked absolutely gorgeous.

"Lily, you look amazing," I whispered, pulling her closer to me. She giggled as I placed a tender kiss on the tip of her nose and grinned.

I turned at the sound of retching noises. "Okay, can you _please_ not do all that lovey-dovey stuff right now? Mate, that's my sister," Sirius grumbled, glaring at me. I grinned when I saw the amused twinkle in his eyes.

Lily grabbed my hand and led me down the staircase. We passed by our friends, who were lounging on the couches by the fire. All of them were dressed and ready for the graduation ceremony.

Alice was sitting on Frank's lap (yes, they were still going as strong as ever). I smirked when I saw his eyes appreciatively look over Alice's attire. She wore a simple white halter dress that flowed down to just below her knees. Her hair, which had grown a couple inches and now ended below her shoulders, was pulled back into a half ponytail.

Thalia was dressed in a light blue and white dress. The top was a bit loose and was the color of the sky on a clear, sunny day. The dress then pinched in at the waist and the white skirt hugged her body until a bit below mid-thigh. Thalia's long hair was curled but otherwise left untouched. She was sitting on a couch, staring into the fire and being uncharacteristically quiet. She probably couldn't believe we were graduating already. I couldn't either.

Remus, like Sirius and I, was wearing his black robes and white shirt. He usually looked battered and tired, with his furry little problem, but for the occasion, he looked rather happy. For the first time in a while, he actually looked his age, as opposed to older.

"See you guys later," I said with a wave to them. They smiled, nodded, and waved back.

Still holding my hand, Lily led me out of the portrait hole and out into the corridor. For a couple minutes, we just stayed like that. Quiet, holding hands. The only sounds coming from us were the clicks and thuds of our synchronized footsteps. It was a comfortable silence, words weren't needed.

As soon as we arrived at the Great Hall, a dark blur came out of nowhere and jumped on Lily, causing her to stumble. Luckily, I caught her around the waist and held her, making sure the figure didn't knock her over.

"Mum!" Lily cried, throwing her arms around the woman's neck. I smiled. It has been two years since the wedding, and Lily had eventually got used to calling Sirius' mum, Rosaline, her mum.

"Lily! Oh darling, it's been so long!" Rose wailed, rocking side to side while she hugged her step-daughter.

"Muuum, it's only been a couple months. Siri and I visited for Easter!" Lily replied, rolling her eyes.

Rose pouted. "Well I'm sorry if I miss my beautiful daughter after not seeing her for 'only a couple months'," Rose snapped playfully.

Andrew, Lily's dad, chuckled and embraced his daughter. "Oh Lils! Look at you, all grown up." He pulled back to hold Lily arms length away so he could look her over.

"James!" Rose shrieked and threw herself at me in the same manner that she did a moment ago to Lily. I chuckled and hugged her back.

"Nice to see you too, Mrs. Evans," I said cheekily.

Rose grinned. "Oh please, you might as well call me mum too! I mean, we all know you and Lily are going to get marr-"

"James!"

Rose was cut off by the sound of my parents yelling my name. My mum threw herself at me, similar to the way Rose did, and I caught her in a tight embrace.

"Jamie!" I blushed at the nickname. Mum just loved calling me that, didn't she. "Oh sweetheart! I can't believe you're graduating already!" My mother blubbered, a few tears spilling from her gray eyes. I smiled softly and wiped away my mum's tears.

"Mum, don't cry, I'm still the same James you gave birth to," I said, earning a chuckle from my sobbing mum.

My dad clapped me on the shoulder. "It's nice to see you, son," he said with a smile. "I can't believe you're already graduating. Merlin, you're getting old."

Lily laughed, catching the attention of my parents. I paled. Now that they realized Lily was here, they were probably going to go crazy. I swear, my parents loved Lily more than they loved me, their one and only child.

"LILY!"

My mum attacked Lily with a hug, nearly knocking them both to the ground. "MUM!" I squawked in embarrassment.

She ignored me. "Oh Lily dear, you look absolutely lovely! It's so nice to see you again! Oh, LILY!" mum squealed, excitedly bouncing up and down while she hugged Lily.

Everyone else watched the scene, amusement shining in their eyes. I heard footsteps and turned to see the rest of our friends entering the Great Hall. Sirius' already-present smile widened when he spotted the parents.

"CHILD BEARERS! IT'S GREAT TO SEE YOU!" Sirius bellowed, capturing Rose and Drew in a big bear hug.

"Child bearers? Do I _look_ like a female to you?" Andrew asked, glaring at Sirius. Sirius winked cheekily and Andrew guffawed.

"Bloody child.. lucky he's part of the package deal.." Drew muttered so Sirius could hear. He winked at Sirius' affronted expression.

"Anyway Prongs," Sirius said, turning to address me, "We came down here early because I need to talk to you. _Alone._"

I was surprised but didn't say anything. Instead, I followed Sirius out and walked with him to a secluded corridor. He then turned to face me, looking more serious and worried than I had ever seen him before. It was oddly out of character.

"Padfoot, mate-"

He cut me off. "No, James. Just let me tell you what I need to tell you first, okay?" I nodded.

"You see, we're graduating today, and we're going to be leaving Hogwarts. We're going to be moving on, getting jobs, getting married, starting families. I've seen you and Lils these past two years, and you've really proven to me that you love her. I trust you with her, and I know that although you haven't said anything to me, that you're planning to propose today."_  
_

My eyes widened. _How did he know?_ I hadn't told anyone, besides my parents of course. And Andrew. I had asked for his permission in a letter I sent earlier that year, and he had said yes. But he told me that he wouldn't tell anyone, not even Sirius or Rose. So how on earth did Sirius know?

"Mate, I know you better than you know yourself. Your dad proposed to your mum on their graduation day, so I knew you were planning to do the same thing. I just wanted to say, be happy man. You and Lils really are meant for each other. You've had my blessing for the past two years, whether you knew it or not. I also wanted to give this to you."

Sirius pulled out an old backpack from seemingly nowhere. I recognized it as the bag Sirius and Lily took with them to Hogwarts every year. Only Sirius and Lily knew what was inside, and only they had access to it.

He handed it to me. "Look inside, I changed the security measures for today." I chuckled, knowing he meant he took off the protective enchantments which allowed only Lily and Sirius to use the bag.

"You'll know what to do with the things you'll find." He smiled. "Thanks for being my best mate."

I felt tears prickle at the corners of my eyes. "No, thank you for being my brother," I corrected.

He barked out a laugh. We hugged, clapping each other on the back. I smiled, knowing I truly meant what I had said. Sirius had been like my brother from the beginning and through everything that had happened to us. Lily and I were extremely blessed to have such a lovable goofball in our lives. When he pulled away, he patted me once on the back before walking back to the Great Hall, leaving me alone in the hallway with the backpack.

I sat down against a wall and opened it. Inside, I found a couple objects. I pulled out an envelope, which had _To Him_ written on the front in neat cursive. I assumed it meant me and opened it carefully. Inside, was a letter.

It read -

_To the boy who has captured my Lily's heart,_

_If you are reading this, it's because you've managed to become the love of my daughter's life._

I gasped and almost dropped the letter when the realization finally sunk in - I was reading a letter written to _me_, by Lily's late mother. I suddenly felt as if I was holding a precious artifact. The words on the page were priceless and were worth more than I could ever imagine. After a moment, once the shock had worn off a bit, I continued reading.

_Although I haven't met you, I know you're perfect for her. Otherwise, you wouldn't be reading this. And you wouldn't be with my Lily. She's one tough, unique girl, which I'm sure you already know. So congratulations on that. You've tamed the beast (shh don't tell Lily I said that)._

_I know I've been gone a while, and during that time Lily has probably changed a lot. But I do know these things. Lily is a passionate girl. She will fight for what she believes in. She also is far too loyal for her own good. Although these are two admirable traits, they can get a person into trouble when in the wrong situation. I just ask you to please take care of Lily. I know one day, these traits will get her in trouble and I'm counting on you to protect her. _

_With this letter, is a bracelet. It was given to me on the day I graduated from university. Andrew gave it to me before the graduation ceremony. I want you to do the same. Tell her why. Tell her it was her mum's, and that although she my not remember me, it's something of mine that she can take wherever she goes as she transitions into adulthood. I'll be there with her though that bracelet. I'll be there on her first day of work, on the day she gets engaged, on her wedding day, on the day she has her first child, and everyday. _

_Tell Lily I love her, and that I would have given anything to still be with her today. I didn't want to leave her so young, but it was my time to go. I know she understands, but please tell her anyway. Take care of her. Lily may be a tough girl, but even the strongest concrete walls can have cracks. _

_Thank you. Thank you for being there for her, as a friend and as a lover. Thank you for dealing with her mood swings and stubbornness. Thank you for dealing with her crankiness in the morning. __Thank you for calming her down when someone assumes her birth name is Lillian (which it's not - I believe Lily is a beautiful and legitimate first name). Thank_ you for making her laugh. Thank you for catching her when she trips over flat surfaces. Thank you for watching over her and protecting her. I can't thank you enough for everything you've done and will do. 

_With all I have in me,_

_Leanne Evans_

_P.S. I've been told I'm psychic. Thank you again, James. _

After reading the letter, I carefully folded it back up and placed it in the envelope. I was going to keep this forever. I realized then that there were tears on my cheeks. Tears that Lily had to lose such a wonderful woman in her life.

One thing I couldn't stop thinking about was how she knew Lily was going to end up with a James. Mrs. Evans had died years before Lily found out she was a witch, years before Lily had met me. Despite how confused I was, it made me happy. It was almost a sign that Lily and I were meant to be. And also, despite Mrs. Evans not being around, I knew that I had her approval and her blessing.

I studied the bracelet, which true to her word, was with Leanne's letter. It was a thin silver chain with small elegant diamonds hanging off it. As I toyed with the piece of jewelry in my hands, I watched transfixed as the light reflected off the gems and onto the stone walls around me. I smiled when I saw that the delicate chain seemed small enough to wrap perfectly around Lily's wrist. It was perfect for her.

I stood up, shrunk the backpack and slipped it into my pocket. I held the bracelet carefully in my fist, not trusting myself to put it in my pocket out of the fear of losing it. I walked back to the Great Hall and found it filled with more students and their family members. At one side of the room, I could see Thalia with her parents and siblings. A couple feet from them were the Lupins, and a couple feet from _them_ were the Longbottoms and Prynns.

Lily and Sirius were still with our parents. I walked up to them and tapped Lily on the shoulder. "Lils, could I talk to you for a bit?" I asked quietly.

Confused, Lily nodded. Before I led her away, I caught Sirius' eye and gave him a nod and smile. He sent me a grin and turned back to the parents' conversation.

I led her back to the hallway where I read Leanne's letter. I figured it was only fitting - give her her mother's bracelet in the last place her mother's presence truly was.

"What is it, Jay?" Lily asked, not wasting a moment in asking why I had brought her there. I took in a deep breath before I opened my hand to reveal the bracelet. Her eyes widened in wonder and awe at the sight of it. Her response brought a small smile to my face.

"Lils, this was your mother's," I told her. Her head snapped up and her eyes met mine.

"How did you get it?"

I figured there was a reason Sirius hadn't told Lily about the letter and bracelet being in their special bag, so I decided not to mention that. "Let's just say, your mother made sure I would be able to give it to you."

I gently took her small wrist and wrapped the bracelet around it. After I locked the clasp, she brought her wrist close to her face to study it. She watched as the light reflected off the gems when she turned her arm.

"Your mother wanted you to have it today, since she got it from your father on their graduation day. It's a way for her to be with you, especially on such a big milestone in your life."

Lily looked at me, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. She said simply, "Thank you."

I just smiled. Lily and her mother both deserved this. I held out a hand to her, which she wrapped her own petite hand around.

"Ready to graduate, Lils?"

"As ready as I'll ever be."

* * *

"Good afternoon, parents, friends, faculty, staff, and students. We are here today to celebrate the last stepping stone on the way to adulthood for these young graduates. Today, while their time at Hogwarts will come to an end, they will begin their journeys into the world which we have prepared them for over these past seven years."

I smiled at the back of Lily's head from where I sat a couple rows behind her. The graduates were alphabetically arranged into rows on a stage-like platform. At the edge of the stage was a podium, where Professor McGonagall was currently delivering a small speech. The other Hogwarts teachers and faculty were sitting in rows on either side of the stage, dressed in dark formal robes.

Lily and I stood up and walked over to the podium, standing slightly off to the side. We were each about to deliver a graduation speech.

"I now invite our Head students, Lily Evans and James Potter, to come forward and share some words with you all," McGonagall said, gesturing to me and Lily.

Lily moved until she was standing at the podium. From behind her, Professor McGonagall magically magnified her voice. Lily took a deep breath before she began her speech.

"Good afternoon faculty, staff, loved ones, and my fellow students of the graduating Hogwarts class of 1978. It has been a long journey to arrive here, at our final destination together as a family of Hogwarts students. Through the good times and the bad, we have stuck by each other as friends, as a family. Over the years, we have had our share of laughs and tears, but regardless, our time together is full of memories and is valuable to us all.

Here, at Hogwarts, we have learned a multitude of different subjects. We all have experienced visits to the hospital wing after a nasty Potions class and caught up on our sleep during History of Magic lectures." I, along with the other students, laughed at the truth in Lily's words. "But besides what we may, or may not, have learned in our classes," Lily paused while we all shared a laugh again, "Hogwarts has taught us other lessons that can not be found on a chalkboard or on a piece of parchment. Hogwarts has taught us how to work with others and love even when it's hard to. We have learned how to look inside of ourselves and discover who we truly are. We have learned that it is absolutely okay to make mistakes, because otherwise, how else would we learn from them?

When we leave here today, we will no longer be students, but rather, adults walking into the real world. We will walk away from these halls and classrooms filled with the knowledge and tools necessary to make the most of the lives we were given. We may be leaving the place that some of us have called home for the past seven years, but remember this - Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home. Congratulations, graduates, today is the day."

Not even three seconds after Lily's last word, the crowd of family members, as well as all of the students, erupted in deafening applause and cheers. Lily truly did have a way with words, and with people. The way she just spoke charmed everyone listening to her. Even those parents who had never met her before would no doubt go home tonight and say over dinner "Wow, what a bright individual, that Lily Evans."

Lily gave the crowd a tearful grin and stepped back from the podium, allowing me to take her place. Before turning to speak, I gently cupped her cheek and wiped away a tear that managed to escape.

"Hello there, everyone," I began, smiling a bit when people chuckled at my informal start. "I think everyone seated here will agree that Hogwarts has become more to us than just a school. For some of us, it has become a safe haven, a place where we truly felt cared for and secure. For others, it was a place simply bursting with knowledge that you couldn't get anywhere else. Regardless, Hogwarts has shaped us all in some shape or form.

Before I began attending Hogwarts, I was a shy, scrawny kid. I know, I can't believe it either." Everyone laughed. "Thanks to a combination of Quidditch training, puberty, and being at Hogwarts, I became the tall, not so scrawny, Marauder standing before you all today." More laughter. I noticed some girls nod appreciatively at the mention of Quidditch giving me muscles. I stifled an eye roll. "I spent a good portion of the last seven years here causing mayhem and mischief. But I also sat in class, soaking in the knowledge that our wonderful teachers provided for us."

"I also met some people who I have come to think of as family." I looked back at my best friends. Remus and Sirius grinned proudly back at me, while Thalia and Alice beamed back tearfully.

I looked finally at Lily. I continued speaking, not breaking eye contact with her. "Hogwarts, for me, became a home away from home. Here, I have made memories that will surely last a lifetime, and felt emotions I never imagined. Here, I have felt heartache and heartbreak, but also, I found love. Many things happened at Hogwarts which have shaped who I am, but one truly has changed my life for the better. At Hogwarts, I fell in love with my best mate's sister."

With that, I dropped down to one knee, and pulled out the small velvet box which had been sitting in the pocket of my robes. I popped it open, revealing a silver band with four small diamonds, each one shaped like a petal. A diamond Lily.

"Lily Marie Evans, two years ago, I realized you were the woman I had been searching for. I wish for nothing else but to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?"

Lily's emerald eyes were wide with shock. A tear escaped as she choked out a response.

"Yes, James."

I grinned to the point where my cheeks hurt. I hastily, almost clumsily, slipped the ring onto her right hand. She brought it close to her face, quickly looking at the ring. I smiled more when I realized the ring and Leanne's bracelet were on the same arm. I cupped her face with my hands and dropped a quick but loving kiss on her lips. Everyone cheered loudly, but I barely heard them. Knowing I still had the Sonorus charm on me, I knew just how I was going to finish my speech.

Still looking at Lily, I said, "As the brilliant Head girl said, 'Hogwarts will always be there to welcome us home'. And here, I have found my rock, my foundation, my home. I love you, Lily Evans."

* * *

_"...I love you, Lily Evans."_

I smiled as I placed the muggle pen down on the desk. After we had gotten married, Lily and I decided we were going to write down our story. We thought it would make a great bedtime story for the kids. Once Sirius had heard, he insisted that he help us. We had been taking turns writing bits and pieces of our story, starting from the beginning of fifth year.

"What are you doing, Jay?" Lily walked into the study, where I had been sitting at the desk, writing. She came to stand behind me. She wrapped her arms around me and rested her chin on my shoulder. She looked down at the notebook and smiled.

"They'll love this," she whispered, grinning at the handwritten words. "This way, our kids will know how we came to be."

I stood up and hugged her to me. She snaked her arms around my neck and pulled me in for a kiss. I pulled away after a couple moments to look into her beautiful green eyes. The green eyes that had enchanted me on the first day on Platform 9 3/4.

"I love you, Lily."

"I love you too, James."

* * *

**So yeah! That's the end. I just want to thank everyone who has reviewed somewhere along the way, and those who have stuck by the story since the beginning. You are what has helped me and story continue.**

**Mischief Managed.**


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